As all other coastal EU countries, Belgium was obliged to prepare a detailed Maritime Spatial Plan and submit it to the EU as part of the MSP Directive. The aim is to balance and provide space for potentially competing uses of the Sea, from tourism to shipping, conservation and offshore energy. In the current version of the Belgian Maritime Spatial Plan, the use of waters around marina were as "multiuse", which resulted in being half-blocked by aquaculture and a partially restricted military shooting exclusion zone. Other obstacles might take the form of offshore energy structures. Recently, however, the Flemish Boating Federation has been lobbying on this. A consultation was now opened by the Belgian Federal Government with the proposal to include a 6nm clear zone outside the marina for recreational boating use. No new physical structures could be placed there. Many other new elements are proposed, such as three new marine nature reserve. The new plan must be approved by 2026 with the consultation open until end-August.

With thanks to EBI’s sustaining member, TransEurope Marinas and the Flemish Boating Federation for this important update. Further information on this best practice can be shared further. More information can be found in French and Dutch here.

EBI participated at the inaugural Klaipeda Boat Show organised by its Lithuanian member association Litboat. Joining for EBI were Vice-President Anne-Marie Bouweraerts and Secretary-General Philip Easthill to officially open the show and participate in the side conference and several meetings with industry stakeholders and policy-makers.

The Conference was opened by European Commissioner for the Environment, Oceans and Fisheries Virginijus Sinkevičius. He highlighted that the Blue Economy is crucial for the success and independence of Lithuania. He highlighted Lithuania and the Baltic Sea as an excellent choice for leisure activities, with 1,000 marinas in the wider region. In his view marinas should become major attractions, especially with the electrification of boats and sustainable development. The potential benefits for Lithuania and the region are significant. He emphasised that the Baltic Sea and its environment is a priority for both the EU and Lithuania. However, he noted that pollution poses a significant threat and called for collective efforts. He stressed that investing in marinas is essential and mentions that the European Commission supports this initiative.

Further speeches were given by key policy-makers, including the Vice-Minister of Transport, Minister for Environment, Director-General of the Inland State Enterprise Lithuanian Inland Waterways Authority, as well as several stakeholders. All emphasised the significant potential of Lithuania to develop the recreational boating industry, modernise regulation and secure public and private investment. The country has around 26,000 boats registered with 500-600 boats newly registered each year. EBI’s Secretary-General Philip Easthill spoke at the conference to present EBI’s role at European level and focus on creating a positive framework for the recreational boating industry, as well as the Manifesto of the five key demands for the next years at EU level.

The Klaipeda Boat Show overall showcased the potential and benefits of recreational boating for the Lithuania‘s economy and growing interest in building a strong boating industry. EBI would like to extend its warmest congratulations to Litboat and its President Karolis Valenta for the exceptional organisation of the show. More information on the Klaipeda Boat Show can be found here.

Seven industry associations, including EBI, committed to increasing the circularity of composite materials released a statement highlighting the potential of these materials even at their end-of-life. Recognising the significant opportunities for sustainable end-of-life solutions in the wind energy and boating sectors, the associations emphasise the need for a supportive regulatory framework to enable the commercialisation of waste treatment solutions for composite materials.

The statement calls on EU institutions to amend Europe’s waste policy in six key ways to achieve greater circularity in composite materials from decommissioned wind turbine blades, nacelles, and boats. Key recommendations include revising the List of Waste to create dedicated waste codes, setting progressive targets for reuse and recycling, banning landfilling of composite material waste, and recognising cement co-processing as a recycling process. The associations look forward to engaging with EU policy-makers to establish the necessary regulatory framework.

Read the full call here.

International tourist arrivals have surged back to 97% of pre-pandemic levels in the first quarter of 2024. UN Tourism reports that over 285 million tourists travelled internationally between January and March, marking a 20% increase from the same period in 2023. This near-complete recovery highlights the sector's resilience and the robust demand for international travel.

Europe, the world's largest tourist destination, has exceeded pre-pandemic levels for the first time, welcoming 120 million international tourists in the first three months of the year. This growth is largely driven by strong intra-regional demand. As an affiliate member of UN Tourism, the EBI supports these efforts and encourages stakeholders to continue adapting to ensure a sustainable future for international tourism.

The European Commission recently published the 2024 Blue Economy Report, providing a comprehensive analysis of the trends and drivers shaping the sectors reliant on the EU’s coastal and marine resources. This annual report offers valuable insights into the performance of the blue economy, underscoring its significant contribution to employment, economic growth, and sustainability within the EU.

According to the report, the established sectors of the EU blue economy directly employed approximately 3.59 million people in 2021. These sectors, including marine living resources, marine non-living resources, marine renewable energy, port activities, shipbuilding and repair, maritime transport, and coastal tourism, collectively generated around €623.6 billion in turnover and €171.1 billion in gross value added (GVA). Notably, coastal tourism retained the largest share of employment and GVA within the blue economy, contributing 54% and 29%, respectively. Despite still recovering from the 2020 pandemic crisis, coastal tourism remains a cornerstone of the blue economy.

For more detailed insights, you can access the full 2024 Blue Economy Report here.

Last week, seven industry associations working on increasing the circularity of composite materials have published a statement highlighting their valuable resource even at their end-of-life.

Our industries believe there is potential to develop a business case for sustainable end-of-life solutions for composites, starting with the wind energy and boating sectors.

They are the obvious candidates to start building up a regulatory framework enabling sustainable end-of-life solutions for composite materials. But the current EU regulatory frameworks on waste are not sufficient to enable the deployment and commercialisation of the sustainable waste treatment solutions for end-of-life composite materials.

Our associations are looking forward to engaging with the legislator to define the right regulatory framework, starting with the introduction of waste codes for end-of-life composite materials.

We call on the EU institutions to amend Europe’s waste policy in six ways so that we can achieve greater circularity in composite materials from decommissioned wind turbine blades and nacelles, and decommissioned boats :

1. Revise the List of Waste to create dedicated waste codes for end-of-life composite materials from decommissioned wind turbine rotor blades and nacelles, and boats (see Annex I).
2. Revise the Waste Framework Directive to set progressive targets for the reuse and recycling of composite material waste from decommissioned wind turbine rotor blades and nacelles, and boats covered by the waste codes in Annex I.
3. Revise the landfill directive to set a landfill ban on the waste from decommissioned wind turbine rotor blades and nacelles, and boats covered by the waste codes in Annex I.
4. Revise the waste shipment regulation to create dedicated codes for end-of-life composite materials from decommissioned rotor blades and nacelles, and boats to allow better intra-European transport. And to ensure composite material waste are subject to the Green control procedure of the Basel Convention.
5. Recognise cement co-processing as a recycling process according to the Waste Framework Directive 2008/98/EC for its raw material recyclability.
6. Enable on-site dismantling of recreational boats by simplifying permitting and licensing rules and procedures for occasional dismantling, including the potential use of mobile units (or inclusion in repair and maintenance licenses).

 Read the full position paper here.

TEcoNaut, a large-scale EU funded project, aims to promote the use of sustainable composite materials in the nautical industry developed with cutting-edge technology, driving the race towards the ecological transition and the employment opportunities offered by sustainable boat building. With a shared focus on promoting the use of sustainable composite materials, TEcoNaut paves the way for ecological transition and sets a precedent for collaborative efforts in driving industry-wide change.

Through comprehensive initiatives ranging from identifying skills gaps to developing specialized vocational training courses, TECoNaut aims to equip industry professionals with the knowledge and expertise needed to embrace sustainable practices.

Read the full press release here.

The EU Commission is having an independent study conducted to assess the possibility of digitalising conformity assessment certificates with a central database for all CE-marked products. This would also include certificates for recreational boats under the RCD.

The specific objectives of an IT solution would be to:

• Ensure product safety by making market surveillance easier and thus reducing fraud in conformity assessments;
• Trim the bureaucracy of managing CE-marking for all economic actors by reducing paperwork;
• Support customs control; and,
• Enable consumers and retailers to access reliable data about a product’s CE marking.

A survey is being conducted to assess the data needs of the relevant stakeholders including notified bodies, manufacturers, distributors, importers, exporters. The deadline is 31^st May. We encourage to forward this message to your members. Find the survey here: https://rpaltd.co.uk/ce-mark-database/

The complexity surrounding boater's licences in Europe took centre stage at a recent workshop co-hosted by the Directorate-General for Mobility and Transport (DG Move) and the consultancy Panteia. It is a topic of great importance both nationally and within the European community. The diverse array of national frameworks governing the license certificates poses a significant challenge in establishing a unified regulatory framework. This fragmentation not only creates obstacles to the formation of a cohesive system within European countries but also cannot ensure open borders and enhance safety standards.

The European Commission, in collaboration with Panteia, is implementing a study in order to address the problem, with the goal of framing the actual European situation and finding possible solutions. The first phase of the study that concluded with the workshop, showed the results collected by the surveys that have been circulating around industry stakeholders and the general public/boaters. A different array of stakeholders and national organisations, including several EBI members, gathered to discuss the current situation and the actual issues and needs caused by the fragmented national frameworks. During the workshop, the need for a unified regulatory approach was emphasised to streamline operations and enhance safety standards across EU member states. Most participants agreed that the best way forward would be to make the International Certificate of Competence (UNECE Resolution 40) compulsory for all EU countries.

Participants delved into the economic significance of the boating industry, underlining its total value of approximately 16 billion euros. With varying degrees of boating activity observed across countries, the workshop underscored the urgency of harmonising regulations to facilitate smoother operations and ensure clarity for boaters navigating different jurisdictions.

As part of the study, the two surveys will remain open to provide feedback to the European Commission. EBI urges all stakeholders to respond to and share the surveys.

• General public: EUSurvey - Survey (europa.eu)
• Industry: EUSurvey - Survey (europa.eu)

EBI, together with the consultancy firm Quantis, is pioneering a landmark Environmental Footprint Standard. 16 leading recreational boat manufacturers and 8 industry associations are collaborating to develop the industry's environmental footprint methodology tailored for boats under 24 meters.

Aligned with EU regulations, this standard aims to tackle climate change and minimise environmental impact across the entire life cycle of boats. Through a two-phase approach, the project will establish a science-based methodology and subsequently implement it with a comprehensive database and user-friendly tool. This will enable manufacturers to conduct eco-design, reduce environmental impact, and transparently communicate the environmental footprint to stakeholders, consumers, and regulators.

The project has already gathered a strong support from the EU Commission and it is structured to ensure industry compliance with evolving environmental legislation while staying ahead of regulatory developments. Led by EBI and supported by its strategic partner ICOMIA, this collaborative effort represents a significant step towards a sustainable future for the boating industry.

Please find the press release with detailed information here.