The European Sustainable Boating Roundtable, held during the 65th Genoa International Boat Show, underlined the importance of close cooperation between the boating industry and European institutions at a time of international uncertainty. Organised by EBI and Confindustria Nautica under the title “Resilient and sustainable growth amid global trade shifts”, the event gathered senior policymakers and industry representatives to discuss how to secure competitiveness while advancing sustainability.

Raffaele Fitto, Executive Vice-President of the EU Commission, addressed the roundtable by video message, with Cabinet expert Gabriele Giudice participating in person. They  highlighted that the boating sector is recognised within the EU’s economic and tourism priorities, with links to upcoming initiatives including the Industrial Maritime Strategy, the Sustainable Tourism Strategy and the Sustainable Transport Investment Plan.

The European Parliament was represented by Croatian MEP Željana Zovko (EPP), who stressed the importance of transatlantic cooperation, and Italian MEPs Brando Benifei (S&D) and Letizia Moratti (EPP). Despite political differences, both underlined that Europe must strengthen its trade framework and provide more robust support to exporting industries.

From the industry side, Fabio Planamente, Vice-President of Confindustria Nautica, called for national and EU-level strategies to move in the same direction. Sebastian Nietupski, CEO of Kotniz Group and former President of Polboat, highlighted the need for European frameworks that respond to the realities of business. Piero Formenti, President of Confindustria Nautica, closed the debate by warning against rushed regulatory changes, drawing lessons from the automotive sector.

The exchanges demonstrated a shared understanding: competitiveness and sustainability must go hand in hand, stability in regulation is essential, and decarbonisation requires investment and efficient policy instruments. For EBI, the roundtable provided an effective platform to position the industry’s priorities directly with EU decision-makers and to show the sector’s readiness to contribute to ongoing legislative work.

The success of the roundtable confirmed its role as a reference point for dialogue at European level. Building on these outcomes, EBI will continue its engagement with the EU Commission and Parliament to ensure that the industry’s perspective is part of upcoming strategies and legislative proposals.

The European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) has announced that its Committee for Socio-Economic Analysis (SEAC) will open a consultation in spring 2026 on its draft opinion regarding the proposed EU-wide restriction of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). The consultation will follow SEAC’s March 2026 meeting and remain open for 60 days.

The process will focus on socio-economic impacts of restricting PFAS, including the availability and feasibility of alternatives across sectors. Risk aspects are being assessed separately by ECHA’s Committee for Risk Assessment. The consultation will take place through a structured online survey, with all interested stakeholders — including industry, NGOs, researchers and the public — invited to provide input.

To support stakeholders, ECHA will hold an online information session on 30 October 2025 and publish consultation guidelines. SEAC is expected to adopt its final opinion by the end of 2026, after which the EU Commission and Member States will decide on a potential restriction.

The restriction proposal was originally submitted by authorities in Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway and Sweden, with the aim of reducing PFAS emissions and ensuring safer products and processes.

Find more information about the announcement here and an in-depth analysis of the process from our previous newsletter here.

The European Union and Indonesia have formally signed the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (IEU-CEPA) and an Investment Protection Agreement. This milestone deal, concluded on 23 September 2025 after years of negotiation, will liberalise trade in goods and services, boost investment, and grant EU companies privileged access to the Indonesian market. Once ratified—expected by 2027—the agreement will remove import duties on 98.5% of tariff lines, simplify export procedures for key sectors (such as automotive, chemicals, machinery, and agri-food), and save EU exporters around €600 million annually, making European products more affordable for Indonesian consumers. 

Beyond economic benefits, the CEPA sets a strong foundation for sustainable growth. It integrates climate and environmental commitments aligned with the Paris Agreement, opens new opportunities in renewable energy, carbon technologies, and critical raw materials, and protects intellectual property for businesses of all sizes. The agreement also establishes a platform for ongoing dialogue on trade-related environmental issues, supporting secure and sustainable supply chains vital to the green and digital transitions. With legal texts now under final review, the CEPA stands as a testament to both sides’ commitment to openness, transparency, and a rules-based system.

EBI will provide more information once the final draft agreement is published.

More information here.

As part of a high-level dialogue meeting with EU Maritime Commissioner Kostas Cadis, EBI was invited as the representative of the boating sector, to present the industry's perspective on maritime spatial planning and the EU's Directive on Maritime Spatial Planning.

The Commissioner highlighted that the aim is to simplify EU rules and that more integrated action is needed, as well as aligning with decarbonisation priorities. For this purpose, the Directive will be developed into the Ocean Act as one of the commitments of the European Ocean Pact to unify and modernise the legislation. From the meeting, Commissioner Cadis took away the need for stakeholder engagement, strategic approaches, climate and biodiversity inclusion, regional and cross-border collaboration, and integration with offshore renewables.

EBI Secretary-General Philip Easthill highlighted three major points for the boating industry:

1. Access to the sea for citizens has to be a primary objective, which boating and watersports actively supports 
2. Recreational, sporting activities and marinas should receive higher attention in the legislation and national plans 
3. Maritime spatial plans should be used for positive forward strategic planning for all sectors and address missing links and infrastructure needs

Participating at the meeting were representatives of other blue economy sectors and NGOs. The meeting with stakeholders will feed into an implementation report due in 2026 and the future development of the Oceans Act. EBI will continue to be closely involved.

The Waterborne Technology Partnership, an industry-oriented Technology Platform to establish a continuous dialogue between all waterborne stakeholders, has published its new Strategic Research Agenda for the European waterborne sector. It encompasses objectives across the transformation of waterborne transport, technology leadership in blue economy sectors.

For the first time, the Research Agenda recognises the importance of recreational boating and nautical tourism, emphasising Europe's world-leading position in building of recreational boats and the importance of public investment in R&D to support the sustainability transition, and marina infrastructure.

This inclusion will give a boost to the sector, and support EBI's activities at EU level to ensure greater funding support to the recreational boating industry. The full Strategic Research Agenda can be found here.

EuCIA has published new estimates on the potential volume of composites waste available for recycling in Europe. While the total volume of thermoset composites waste generated in 2025 is predicted at around 914 kt, the actual amount accessible for recycling is likely to be closer to 228 kt, or about 25% of the theoretical amount. Currently, only a maximum of 5% of this waste is being recycled.

The lower accessible volume is due to factors such as exports for reuse outside Europe, composites embedded in infrastructure, and limited collection and sorting systems. EuCIA underlines that building a robust European value chain and infrastructure is essential to increase collection and enable recycling on a larger scale.

This data will feed into the work of the European Circular Composites Alliance (ECCA), launched by EuCIA with JEC earlier this year. ECCA aims to address legal, economic and technical barriers to composites recycling, advocate for dedicated waste codes, and support the development of markets for secondary composites. EBI has joined ECCA representing the recreational boating industry.

Further details are available in the new EuCIA publication Reimagining end-of-use composites as a new resource.

A new platform for marine businesses, the Marine Impact Lab, will be launched during Metstrade in Amsterdam on 17 November. Organised by Marine Futures and Foxall Munro, the Lab is a one-day event limited to 100 participants and designed to provide hands-on guidance for companies to reduce costs, risks and emissions.

The Marine Impact Lab will feature two tracks: one focusing on product design, life cycle assessment, efficiency and end-of-life planning, and another addressing organisational sustainability through carbon reporting, stakeholder engagement and governance. Participants will work in structured sessions with expert facilitators and case-based learning.

The initiative is supported by 11th Hour Racing, World Sailing, ICOMIA, Metstrade, Northern Lights Composites and the St. Maarten Heineken Regatta. It aims to bring together engineers, designers, sustainability leads and decision-makers to collaborate on practical solutions for the industry.

The Lab builds on existing methodologies already applied by companies such as Williams Jet Tenders, North Sails and Starboard, which have achieved measurable environmental and commercial benefits. It also integrates Foxall Munro’s Sustainability Toolbox, currently used by over 950 professionals across multiple sectors worldwide.

Tickets for the Marine Impact Lab are priced at €150 and include a full day of interactive sessions, resources, and networking opportunities. The Amsterdam event will be the first in a planned global series of workshops for the marine industry.

Find more information here.

The Belgian Federal Public Service for Mobility and Transport, together with regional authorities and sector partners, has published a study on end-of-life and medium-term risk recreational boats in harbours and navigable areas. The work builds on earlier initiatives exploring circular economy solutions for the boating sector, including a legal study and roadmap developed in 2023–2024.

The survey, conducted among 73 professionals such as port managers, watersports clubs and shipyards, provides insight into the presence of abandoned or neglected vessels, associated risks, and the potential value of a structured management system. Respondents represented locations across Belgium, with the majority based in the Flemish Region.

Findings show that while the owners of such vessels are usually identified (76% of cases), 95% do not take further action. Around 71% of the boats had not sailed for over a year and 69% showed clear signs of neglect, including overdue payments and, in some cases, squatting. Short-term risks are limited, with only a few cases per port, but medium-term risks are considered more significant if the situation is left unmanaged.

The study underlines that abandoned or neglected boats can damage the image of harbours, create legal liabilities and generate financial burdens for managers. A large majority of respondents (83%) believe that establishing a management system for end-of-life vessels would bring clear benefits, particularly in improving harbour image, freeing up space, and reducing legal risks.

Although the study concludes that there is currently no acute problem, it recommends monitoring the issue closely over the coming years as the number of end-of-life boats is expected to rise.

The study can be accessed here.

The EU Commission has presented its proposal for the Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) covering the period 2028 to 2034. With an overall envelope of €2 trillion, the proposal is significantly larger than the current budget and introduces major reforms to simplify EU funding and increase flexibility.

Among the key elements is the creation of a European Competitiveness Fund, bringing together several existing programmes under a €409 billion budget. It will support the scaling up, manufacturing and deployment of strategic technologies in Europe, with potential relevance for the maritime and boating sectors. Horizon Europe will continue with €175 billion for research and innovation.

Tourism is included for the first time as a strategic priority. National and regional programmes will be required to take into account the specific needs of the tourism sector, while the European Competitiveness Fund will support SMEs working towards sustainability. This could open opportunities for nautical tourism, marinas and related infrastructure.

The proposal also includes a new own-resource scheme, the Corporate Resource for Europe, which would require large companies with a turnover above €100 million to pay a lump sum tax between €100,000 and €750,000 annually. This element has already met resistance from businesses and EU countries and may not be approved. Negotiations on the MFF are expected to continue until 2027, with final approval needed by the European Parliament and Member States. EBI will follow the process and provide guidance to the industry once the outcome becomes clearer.

MEP Sakis Arnaoutoglou (S&D, Greece) provided an official question to the EU Commission on the unequal development of tourist ports, noting that Greece is expected to have only 49 marinas in operation by 2030 compared to 1,403 in France and 961 in Italy. He underlined that this gap prevents Greece from fully harnessing maritime tourism as a driver of sustainable growth.

Commissioner for Sustainable Transport and Tourism Apostolos Tzitzikostas replied that while port development is a national competence, EU instruments provide support. He highlighted measures in the Greek Recovery and Resilience Plan, EUR 228 million allocated through national and regional programmes, as well as funding from Cohesion Policy, EMFAF and Interreg NEXT MED. He added that the Transition Pathway for Tourism and the EU Agenda for Tourism 2030 underline the importance of sustainable development in coastal and island economies, which account for 45% of nights spent in the EU.