EBI was invited to speak during a session held in hybrid form at the Italian Pavilion for the 2020 DUBAI Expo. The topic of the session was “The future of the Coastal Zone: Observing and Predicting the Global Coastal Ocean in support of sustainable economics and coastal policies”. The aim of the session was to offer an opportunity for dialogue between policy-makers, business representatives and science.

In representing the boating sector, EBI’s Secretary General Philip Easthill explained how the blue economy can be engaged to tackle the sustainability challenges of the future. He focused on the necessity to co-design a strategy by including companies and key stakeholders, as well as taking into account the needs of the sector, such as more accurate data, navigational information, mapping, environmental information (e.g. Posidonia). Moreover, he stressed on the role of boating as a solution combining ocean literacy and citizen science to develop further information and engage the private sector at the same time. 

On 8 October 2021, the Blue Planet Economy European Maritime Forum was held online. It brought together different representatives from trade associations, innovative SMEs, investors, research centres and institutions to exchange their views on the future of the Blue Economy.

Speaking at the panel on “Tourism: between infrastructures and logistics 2020-2030” was EBI Secretary General Philip Easthill, who highlighted that the sustainable transition in Europe, also coming from the European Green Deal, is crucial for the recreational boating sector and requires appropriate political measures. On top of that, he added that marinas and boating companies cannot face substantial investments by themselves in a short amount of time and needs governmental support at national and EU Ievel.

EBI further underlined the need for measures that can enable the industry to grow sustainably in the future, such as reduced VAT rates, as an important element to steer tourism demand, which needs to be adapted to ensure that the entire tourism sector can benefit from uniform VAT rates. Another element are the Taxonomy criteria, currently being developed at EU level to define green investment, which needs to consider the full spectrum of the boating sector, including marinas, yachting and take into account the transition requirements of the sector. Also on the panel were Stefano Pagani Isnardi from Confindustria Nautica and Roberto Perocchio from ASSOMARINAS.

On 6 October 2021, EBI participated in the NAUTICOM online forum organised by an EU-funded project on “Nautical cooperation network in Macaronesia. Promotion of internationalization, tourism competitiveness and Blue Growth of the Macaronesia region” (NAUTICOM). The aim of the project is to encourage the development of nautical tourism in the Macaronesian region and archipelagos (Canary Islands, Cape Verde, Azores, Madeira).

The theme of the conference was "Maritime and coastal tourism, basic sector for the blue and green economy in Macaronesia". The main objective of the Forum was to share the results of the project, exchange experiences and good practices on the economic, commercial and financial potential offered by international alliances, networking and transnational commercial collaboration in the nautical industry. Key speakers from international organisations participated to show trends in the coastal and maritime tourism sector, focusing on the nautical sector and the challenges that it is currently facing towards a greener and blue economy.

EBI’s Secretary-General was invited to participate in the opening session of the conference together with representatives of the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Maritime Affairs and the Directorate-General for Internal market.

EBI offered its perspective on the recent increased consumer interest in boating, which could represent a positive long-term trend for the whole industry and regions. Further highlighted, were the important role of digitalisation and environmental sustainability for the future of boating. Importantly, EBI called for adequate policies and funding at the national and European level to foster the development and implementation of technology and infrastructure for sustainable propulsion solutions, together with the necessary modernisation of marinas towards essential goals such as renewable energy, climate change adaptation, and digitalisation.

Among the speakers, Nauticom also featured the presence of two representatives of the European Commission. Elfa Kere, DG GROW Policy Officer, focused on the challenges that tourism SMEs and micro-SMEs will face in the coming years to adapt their businesses to the new sustainability trend and showcased the “Transition Pathway for Tourism”, a strategic approach that is currently being developed. It involves stakeholders of the tourism sector to jointly develop recommendations on establishing a resilient tourism ecosystem by 2030.

Manuel Pleguezuelo, DG MARE Policy Officer, explained the Commission’s Strategy to “Transforming the EU's Blue Economy for a Sustainable Future”, a new approach to fully embed the blue economy into the European Green Deal which aims to develop offshore renewable energy, make the blue economy more circular by renewing standards such as those for ship recycling, boat recycling, and build green infrastructure in coastal areas to preserve biodiversity while promoting coastal tourism.

boot Düsseldorf and European Boating Industry (EBI) are launching the "Blue Innovation Dock" (BID), a new stage at the show from 22 to 30 January 2022. The BID will bring together companies, visionaries, investors and policymakers to make the industry fit for the future and promote sustainability and innovation through boot Düsseldorf's unique platform. This exceptional forum, which will take place throughout the show, will discuss the steps towards a sustainable development of the industry.

The UN World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) announces its participation at the Blue Innovation Dock with a high-level political panel on the development of sustainable coastal and maritime tourism. This will cover the expansion of new and existing maritime and inland waterway tourism destinations, as well as governmental support for marinas and other boating infrastructure.

The BID is actively supported by EBI and will set an example for sustainability for the first time next January. With the forum, boot and EBI want to focus on new, future-oriented approaches in a special setting and encourage politics and industry to act and develop impulses. There will be networking opportunities in a dedicated BID B2B Lounge at the stage in Hall 9. Topics range from new propulsion systems to investment opportunities and sustainable boating tourism, as well as the future development of marina infrastructure.

Previously, boot Düsseldorf launched the "ocean tribute" award together with the Monegasque Prince Albert II Foundation and the German Marine Foundation, giving sustainable and visionary projects a home at the "love your ocean" stand in Hall 11 at the fair. It is thus an important driver of innovation in the water sports industry and is continuing this tradition with the BID.

In addition to the successful partnership between EBI and boot Düsseldorf for the annual "International Breakfast Meeting", the cooperation will now be extended to address the most important challenges facing the industry and to find solutions. EBI will thus present the drivers of a sustainable maritime industry at boot Düsseldorf 2022, design the BID program and will be able to attract exciting speakers and panel participants.

A key development in the EU-US relationship is the establishment of the Trade & Technology Council (TTC), a platform for permanent discussion that has the objective to coordinate approaches to key global technology, economic, and trade issues; and to deepen transatlantic trade and economic relations, basing policies on shared democratic values.

The EU-US TTC met for the first time in Pittsburgh on 29 September 2021. The work of the TTC is structure in multiple areas of work, each led by separate Working Groups:

• Technology Standards
• Climate and Clean Tech
• Secure Supply Chains
• Information and Communication Technology and Services (ICTS) Security and Competitiveness
• Data Governance and Technology Platforms
• Misuse of Technology Threatening Security and Human Rights
• Export Controls
• Investment Screening
• Promoting Small- and Medium-sized Enterprises (SME) Access to and Use of Digital Tools
• Global Trade Challenges

A consultation platform to submit input and ideas to the TTC has been launched by the European Commission. Called Futurium, it can be found here. EBI will continue to monitor the developments in the TTC and update members on the issues and opportunities that concern boating sector.

During the G20 summit, it was announced that the EU and US reached an agreement on suspending and adapting the US' steel and aluminium tariffs. This also means that the EU's retaliatory tariffs will be suspended, including on US recreational boats and engines. 

The US will suspend the section 232 tariffs on steel and replace them by a tariff-quota system. The retaliatory tariffs put in place by the EU will be suspended, as well as the increase in the EU's tariffs scheduled for 1 December. The formal decision-making on suspending the EU's retaliatory measures will now start with the Member States, which will indicate the timeline for the formal suspension.

The EU and US will start discussions on the core issue of the dispute related to overcapacity in steel and aluminium production and want to achieve a Global Arrangement on Sustainable Steel and Aluminium in the next two years. If this is successful, the tariffs can be expected to be fully removed.

EBI is delighted that after much pressure and lobbying work together with other European industry associations, US partners NMMA and international partners ICOMIA, the trade dispute has been suspended and a final resolution is possible. The most recent example is the transatlantic statement on the eve of the G20 Summit co-signed by EBI and NMMA as well as other European and US industry associations.

The official announcement from the European Commission can be found here. More information on timelines will be sent to EBI members in the coming days.

Düsseldorf/Brussels, 14 October 2021 – boot Düsseldorf and European Boating Industry (EBI) are launching the "Blue Innovation Dock" (BID), a new stage at the show from 22 to 30 January 2022. The BID will bring together companies, visionaries, investors and policymakers to make the industry fit for the future and promote sustainability and innovation through boot Düsseldorf's unique platform. This exceptional forum, which will take place throughout the show, will discuss the steps towards a sustainable development of the industry.

The UN World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) announces its participation at the Blue Innovation Dock with a high-level political panel on the development of sustainable coastal and maritime tourism. This will cover the expansion of new and existing maritime and inland waterway tourism destinations, as well as governmental support for marinas and other boating infrastructure.

The BID is actively supported by EBI and will set an example for sustainability for the first time next January. With the forum, boot and EBI want to focus on new, future-oriented approaches in a speects a home at the "love your ocean" stand in Hall 11 at the fair. It is thus an important driver of innovation in the water sports industry and is continuing this tradition with the BID.

In addition to the successful partnership between EBI and boot Düsseldorf for the annual "International Breakfast Meeting", the cooperation will now be extended to address the most important challenges facing the industry and to find solutions. EBI will thus present the drivers of a sustainable maritime industry at boot Düsseldorf 2022, design the BID program and will be able to attract exciting speakers and panel participants.

boot Düsseldorf Project Director Petros Michelidakis: "I am very pleased that we will be taking another step towards sustainability with boot. With the Blue Innovation Dock we will offer companies, international associations and global organisations a public platform where they will present innovations, the latest propulsion technology or sustainable materials for boat building. In order to be able to present the topic to a broad public beyond the fair, the highlights from the BID will be streamed and can be followed live on boot.com. In this way, we are giving the idea of sustainability the space it deserves beyond the boating sector."

Philip Easthill, Secretary General of the EBI, says: "Our industry is aware of the need to move towards sustainability. The Blue Innovation Dock is an opportunity to showcase this shift, discover the latest innovations and collaborate within our sector and beyond. We are very excited to launch this project with our partner boot Düsseldorf and take a big step towards sustainability."

On 28 September, EBI, together with nine other European industry associations affected by the retaliation tariffs, released a joint statement voicing the urgency to resolve the U.S.’ Section 232 tariffs on steel and aluminium, and in turn the retaliation tariffs that are affecting several sectors of the European economy unrelated to the source of dispute.

The joint statement stressed on the critical importance of the transatlantic relationship for European businesses, welcoming the steps that both sides have taken to de-escalate the dispute in the last months and encouraged the removal of all the punitive tariffs by the end of November. The removal of all remaining rebalancing tariffs and the commitment not to impose new tariffs would provide a significant economic boost to several sectors, including boating industry, which have been hit hard by the Covid pandemic.

EBI, together with its partners, will continue to remain active during the EU-U.S. negotiations and report any further developments. The full joint statement can be downloaded here.