“Blue economy” in focus at Estonian Sustainable Development Forum

Held in Estonia on October 28, 2014 to discuss the “blue economy” with government and business leaders, special guests at the forum include Swedish Crown Princess Victoria and Prince Daniel.

The goal of the Sustainable Development Forums, organized biannually by SEI Tallinn, is to bring sustainability issues to the forefront of public discourse and to promote sustainable development.

The marine-centred blue economy is receiving increased attention at both the EU and the Baltic Sea Region levels. The blue economy is also seen as one of the possibilities to accelerate economic growth and to create new jobs related to aquatic environments. The added value of the blue economy in 2012 within the EU was estimated at about 500 billion euros and a total of 5.4 million people were employed in this sector.

“Without a doubt, the blue economy brings new opportunities for economic growth and prosperity in the region,” said Tea Nõmmann, director of SEI Tallinn. “However, society should be aware of the environmental impact of growing pressures accompanying the blue economy. Adequate resources should be used to develop and implement a program of measures to achieve and sustain good ecological status of the Baltic Sea.”

The Sustainable Development Forum explores the blue economy and blue growth in the European Union as well as other trends in the Baltic Sea Region from the viewpoint of different business sectors, values, attitudes and cooperation needs in order to meet the expectations of people and businesses towards a healthy Baltic Sea.

Read more about the event, including the full programme»

The Sustainable Development Forum is supported by the Environmental Investment Centre and Government Office in Estonia.