“What is the Mediterranean? A thousand things at once.  

Not one landscape, but landscapes without number.  

Not one sea, but a succession of seas.  

Not one civilization, but a number of civilizations.”  

~Fernand Braudel 

Visions of the Mediterranean Sea call to mind a mosaic of beauty; the convergence of diverse culture, trade and ideas. Sparkling turquoise waters reflect a rich history of a shared evolution of diverse people who have contributed to the development of philosophy, art, music, literature, science, technology and the art of living.  

However, just below the surface, our sea is choking. The factors that have contributed to the wonders of the Mediterranean have also led to its suffering. The densely populated and heavily visited tourist attraction that bridges east and west has brought waves of pollution from marine transport coupled with industrial and touristic activities. 

These cumulative anthropogenic drivers are changing the climate and environment, causing the Mediterranean Sea to be one of the most polluted in the world. Marine litter, 80% to 90% of which is made of plastics and microplastics1, is a main pressure to the marine and coastal environment in the Mediterranean. Each day, 730 tonnes of plastic reach the Mediterranean Sea. This is equivalent to 100 school buses worth of waste floating to the shores daily. Due to the semi-enclosed basin character, this waste is trapped, exacerbating impacts for people and the planet.  

Interrupting the Trajectory ~ Bringing BlueMissionMed to Life 

The EU recognises both the value of the Mediterranean Sea and the opportunity to play a key role in achieving climate neutrality and restoring nature. To inspire genuine transformation, the EU established the mission to “Restore our Ocean and Waters” which operates through the power of regional engagement and cooperation. ​​The Mission has established several area-based “lighthouses” or hubs to pilot, demonstrate, develop and deploy activities in each of its major sea/river basins: Atlantic-Arctic, Mediterranean Sea, Baltic-North Sea, and Danube-Black Sea. Each Mission lighthouse becomes a site. These hubs will focus on the the following objectives and targets by 2030:

• Protect and restore marine and freshwater ecosystems and biodiversity:
  • Protect at least 30% and strictly 10% of EU’s sea areas
  • Restore 25,000 km of free flowing rivers
  • Marine nature restoration targets (including degraded seabeds and coastal ecosystems)
• Prevent and eliminate pollution of our ocean, sea and waters:
  • Reduce marine litter by at least 50%
  • Reduce microplastics by at least 50%
  • Reduce nutrient loss and chemical pesticides by at least 50%
• Make the blue economy carbon-neutral and circular:
  • Net-zero emissions
  • Zero carbon aquaculture
  • Low-carbon multipurpose use of marine space

The wisdom in creating a network of lighthouses is the ability to connect and coordinate efforts happening simultaneously. The lighthouses vary slightly in focus, yet collectively address the protection and restoration of aquatic ecosystems; prevention and elimination of pollution; and support establishing a blue and circular, climate neutral economy. The role of these hubs is to synergise and connect the efforts in the various regions, gathering the momentum to help better serve the EU mission. 

Under the umbrella of the mission, BlueMissionMed (BMM) is one of the Coordination and Support Action (CSA) projects supporting the Implementation of the Mission Restore our Ocean and Waters in the Lighthouse area (Mediterranean Sea). BMM hones focus on the prevention and elimination of pollution of our ocean, seas and waters. This project builds on and connects with existing initiatives and activities in order to be able to disseminate and upscale solutions. The BlueMissionMed Coordination and Support Action (CSA) has been established to design, structure and support a well-functioning basin scale innovation ecosystem, progressing the achievement of the EU “Restore Our Oceans and Waters by 2030” objectives. 

Dipping our paddles to the Sea ~ How we progress the Vision 

BlueMissionMed has the mission of protecting and restoring the Sea. The heart of this critical transformation are people. BlueMissionMed draws on a diverse group of stakeholders focused on policy, businesses, research & innovation and civil society. There is also a group of ‘​Ecosystem Enablers’ specifically powered to synergize the actions of the Mission Lighthouse in the Mediterranean basin. 

Collectively, these stakeholders will support the development and deployment of transformative innovative solutions. Solutions are not singular; they must be diverse, robust and coordinated. Each solution developed is hinged to another, working together to create  impact that has the power to drive genuine transformation. Therefore, the project will focus on developing technological, social, business and policy solutions to: 

• Boost investor interest in the well-functioning basin scale innovation ecosystem;
• Align and monitor the EU, national and local policies, initiatives and actions ongoing the Mediterranean basin;
• Provide technical services, governances and business models to support sustainable socio-economic development of the Mediterranean Basin; and
• Engage society at large through a robust awareness raising and citizen science approach.

BlueMissionMed will establish the MED Lighthouse with the aim to deploy transformative innovative technological, social, business and governance solutions for ensuring a 30-50% reduction of pollution of the basin hydrosphere by 2030. This lighthouse will operate as an interactive digital platform providing all stakeholders access to the necessary knowledge and tools. Growing from the foundation established in nine pilot ​​BLUEMED activities on a plastic-free, healthy Mediterranean, the space will bring forward policy knowledge to support decontamination and restoration in the region.   

Following this approach, it is intended that the project will result in increased awareness and emotional connection of all citizens. It is also expected to raise specific understanding of the opportunities, needs and gaps that exist in the Mediterranean in order to better scale, transfer and replicate experiences to inform policy recommendations. 

BlueMissionMed is a transectorial and multidisciplinary consortium, consisting of 6 ​​R&I public institutions, 5 Non Governmental Organisations, 3 Mediterranean industrial associations and 2 Small-to-Medium Sized Enterprises from 7 countries of the Mediterranean. 

MedWaves’s role: 

MedWaves joins this group of partners, and will take the lead in producing two key documents: 

1 –  Support and empower the Mediterranean sea basin innovation ecosystem by creating a catalogue of services: A compendium of services and experts available to support beneficiaries in tackling plastic pollution. This catalogue will be organised for periodice peer review through online sessions. 

2 – Sustainability and Exploitation Plan for BlueMissionMed: Translate the outcomes of the models created and exploitable assets into a BlueMissionMed model that can be updated throughout the project and to make accessible lessons learned to beneficiaries outside of the programme.