During the European Maritime Day, which took place in Brest (France) on the 24th and 25th of May, the AIVP had a stand to present itself and its two European projects: the Horizon 2020 funded MAGPIE project and the Interreg North Sea Connected River project. A permanent member of the AIVP, Ms. Caya Hein was able to present the AIVP and its project during the “EMD Cities Network Session – Part 2: Round Tables of the EMD Cities Network”. During this session the cities of Brest (France), Cork (Ireland), Den Helder (the Netherlands), and Svendborg (Denmark) presented the challenges they are facing regarding marine renewable energy implementation and decarbonization issues during the first half and discussed possible solutions with the participants in the second half. The city of Ravenna (Italy) was unable to join due to the extreme floodings that took place in the region. The Brest metropole, port, and the region of Brittany, all three hosts of the event, invited the AIVP to moderate their round table, which was focused on the energy transition and offshore wind energy challenges and opportunities. As AIVP highlights in Goal 2 of the Agenda 2030, port-city territories are vital to the energy transition and the collaboration within and between port communities is important in advancing the process towards the generation of renewable energy sooner. The discussion centered on three key topics: increasing social acceptability of the offshore wind farms, collaboration between ports and cities nearby like Saint-Nazaire (France) to reduce costs and be more efficient on a regional level, and funding opportunities that are being promoted by the European Union through the Ten-T and Ten-E programs.
