On 20 and 21 June, EBI members gathered at Jeanneau´s headquarters for their General Assembly, an occasion that not only served to welcome four new members, but also a new leadership team.

Joining as full members are the Ukrainian Maritime Cluster (UMC), which gathers the entire maritime sector in Ukraine, HISWA-RECRON, the Dutch association for boating and leisure companies and the Swiss Boat Builders Association (SBV) that represents the sector in Switzerland. The Yacht Harbour Association (TYHA) was welcomed as sustaining member, representing the interests of marinas in 29 countries, including the UK and a significant presence in Europe. EBI represents now a total of 22 members across 17 European countries.

EBI’s General Assembly welcomed the elections to the Council and said farewell to its former President, Jean-Pierre Goudant, who spent a total of 45 years in the industry, four of them as EBI’s President. Robert Marx (BVWW/Germany) will serve as President for the next two years with Anne-Marie Brouweraerts (Nautibel/Belgium) as Vice President & Treasurer and Jean-Paul Chapeleau (FIN/France) as Vice President. Piero Formenti (Confindustria Nautica/Italy) will take the new position of Vice Chair. Jordi Carrasco (ANEN/Spain) and Miroslaw Hajdukiewicz (Polboat/Poland) join the council as new members.

More information is available here.

The European Environment Agency issued a report in June to mark the excellent quality of European waters.

In 2006, the European Union adopted the Bathing Water Directive and since then the percentage of "excellent" sites has reached 89% in coastal waters and 81% in inland waters, while minimum quality standards are met by 95.9% of bathing sites across Europe.

Efforts to protect the environment by promoting water quality have paid off, leaving poor water quality below 1.5%, a figure that is expected to decrease further in the coming years.

The European Environment Agency also makes an interactive map available to the public where you can find more about water quality across Europe. You can find this and more information here.

The tourism industry in Europe plays a significant role in economic growth, job creation, and social integration as the EU is the first tourist destination worldwide. However, European tourism faces potential challenges posed by climate change.
The EU has developed several policies that aim to maintain Europe's status as a leading tourist destination, focusing on competitiveness, sustainability, and resilience. Policies addressing climate change hold a significant place on the European agenda as its impacts on the natural environment are crucial for local and regional planners when devising sustainable tourism strategies.

The present study examines the potential effects of climate change on tourism demand in Europe across various global warming scenarios. Although the study is preliminary, it highlights important opportunities and threats that should be taken into account.

The study is available here.

The German Federal Environment Agency (Umweltbundesamt) conducted a study on “closing cycles digitally using the example of the recycling of sports boats, light aircraft and consumer goods made of fiber composite materials“. Recreational boats were the key product being considered in the study, which was implemented by the consultancy Ramboll and German research institute Fraunhofer. EBI was involved in the study at different levels, providing input and participating in several meetings.

The study concluded that recycling composite products is technically demanding and requires separate collection as well as adjusted dismantling procedures. There is little such recycling taking place in Germany due to low quantities and lack of economically viability. Bundling and joint recycling of these three product groups with other waste containing FRP (e.g. wind turbine blades and certain construction products) could be useful and feasible in establishing a high valuable, non-polluting and economical waste treatment.

It was found that to enable high quality recycling, components made of FRP must be collected separately. The project developed detailed guidelines for the draining, dismantling and shredding of recreational boats. This includes the introduction of standards based on the developed guidelines and further development of existing recycling processes and a digital product passport for recreational boats. An important legal prerequisite for any specialized waste treatment are waste codes, which implies the need of the revision of the European List of Wastes.

The full report can be found here (with an extended English summary from page 35). Overall, it follows EBI’s core positions on the issue of end-of-life boats and makes reference to the European Roadmap on end-of-life recreational boats published in early 2023.

After a successful six months in which the association reached several milestones, European Boating Industry held its General Assembly at the headquarters of the Jeanneau yard, where it welcomed four new members and renewed its leadership team led by incoming President Robert Marx. After many years of successful service to EBI and the entire industry, President Jean-Pierre Goudant retires from the association.

Members of European Boating Industry (EBI) gathered in-person and online for the second General Assembly of 2023 held at the Jeanneau Yard in Les Herbiers, France. It offered participants the opportunity to network, discuss the key challenges and opportunities for EBI to support the industry, as well as see the production of boats #MadeInEurope first-hand.

Several crucial decisions for the future of the association were taken, including the acceptance of three new full members and one sustaining member by unanimous decision. Joining as full members are the Ukrainian Maritime Cluster (UMC), which gathers the entire maritime sector in Ukraine, HISWA-RECRON, the Dutch association for boating and leisure companies and the Swiss Boat Builders Association (SBV) that represents the sector in Switzerland. The Yacht Harbour Association (TYHA) was welcomed as sustaining member, representing the interests of marinas in 29 countries, including the UK and a significant presence in Europe. EBI now represents a total of 22 members across 17 European countries.

The acceptance of the Ukrainian Maritime Cluster as new member was warmly welcomed and is a sign of EBI’s support for Ukraine, its maritime industry and its people in the current devastating war-time period, as well as activities being planned to cooperate on reconstruction and recovery with the boating industry at its heart.

Elections to the Council were held during the General Assembly. For the coming two years, the association will be led by Robert Marx as President (BVWW/Germany), Vice-President & Treasurer Anne-Marie Bouweraerts (Nautibel/Belgium), Vice-President Jean-Paul Chapeleau (FIN/France). The new position of Vice-Chair, supporting the President, will be held by Piero Formenti (Confindustria Nautica/Italy). Joining the Council as new members are Jordi Carrasco (ANEN/Spain) and Mirosław Hajdukiewicz (Polboat/Poland).

Leaving the association is current President Jean-Pierre Goudant, who retires from his duties having very successfully taken the helm of the association for four years after previously serving four years as Treasurer, and a grand total of over 45 years serving in industry associations. In the last years, he has led EBI’s renewal with a new strategy and increased membership. Also leaving the Council with the gratitude of EBI and the European industry are Vice-President & Treasurer Carlos Sanlorenzo (ANEN/Spain), Jurij Korenc (SMIA/Slovenia) and Christopher Scott (POLBOAT/Poland).

Robert Marx, the newly elected President of EBI, comments “I am honoured to take on this responsibility and lead EBI with my colleagues in the Council and our Secretariat at a crucial moment for our industry. EBI is growing and we are delighted to have new members joining today. We are making our voice heard in Brussels and beyond to advance the industry on the issues that count. On behalf of our industry, I sincerely thank my predecessor Jean-Pierre Goudant for his four years as President and four years as Vice-President that have been very successful for our association".

Several activities for the next twelve months were presented at the General Assembly, which will further focus EBI on tackling the key challenges of the industry including advocacy, the sustainable transition, labour shortages and skills, and market intelligence. Returning in January 2024 after is successful launch at boot Düsseldorf 2023, is the Blue Innovation Dock that will include the latest innovations and opportunities for the sustainable transition of the sector.

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European Boating Industry (EBI) represents the recreational boating industry at European level. It encompasses all related sectors, such as boatbuilding, equipment manufacturing, marinas, charter companies and service providers. The association’s mission is to represent the industry and help it to continue advancing towards sustainability. Focus areas for the association are sustainable development of the sector, tourism and blue economy policy, skills and labour shortages, as well as a number of other areas in line with the increasing development of the sector. More on EBI can be found under www.europeanboatingindustry.eu.

The advertised position offers an excellent chance to gain valuable insight in a dynamic and growing association representing an exciting sector. It is an opportunity to get to know European Affairs and association, as well as the boating industry.

Job description

• Communication support (social media, website, newsletter)
• Organisation of international events and association meetings
• Support for the association’s EU Affairs activities and projects
• Research and analysis on a range of policy dossiers and industry developments
• Attending meetings and events
• Assisting with administrative tasks

Requirements

• University degree in field relevant to position
• Knowledge and experience in European Affairs, Event organisation and/or Communication
• Strong organisational capabilities and analytical skills
• Ability to successfully work autonomously in a small team
• Excellent research and communication skills
• Experience with relevant software and tools (e.g. MS Office, Joomla, Mailchimp)
• High proficiency in English, knowledge of French and/or another EU language desirable
• Passion for boating and water sports is a plus

The expected duration of the traineeship is 6 months. The traineeship is paid under a Belgian Convention d’Immersion Professionnelle (CIP). The applicant may not have already completed a CIP or undertaken full time employment. The expected start date is beginning of October 2023. Applications should be sent to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. with the subject “European Affairs Trainee” by 30 June. Interviews will be held in early July. The position is Brussels-based with (partial) remote working possible.

On July 5 join us from 10:00 – 14:00 at the L42 Conference Center in Brussels (Rue de la Loi 42) for the BlueGeneration conference on “Future-proofing the blue economy”.

The Conference will discuss how the Blue Economy can become more attractive to young people and solve its major challenge of renewing its workforce in the coming years. Across the sector, this is a major challenge and requires the support of industry, stakeholders and policy-makers. In several sessions, these issues will be discussed and solutions presented.

You can register now here.

20 – 21 June                                                             General Assembly (Jeanneau - Les Herbiers, France)

20 June, Afternoon                                              3^rd Council meeting (Les Herbiers, France)

21 June, Morning                                                 2^nd General Assembly (Les Herbiers, France)

5 July, Morning                                                     2^nd General Assembly (Les Herbiers, France)