It's a wrap! The #AtlanticWestMED Conference 2026 has come to a close. Carlos Lorenzo Amigo (Atlantic-WestMED Spanish presidencies' representative) highlighted the progress made, the partnerships built and the work ahead for stronger Atlantic–WestMED cooperation. A powerful finish to two days of collective action - with a very big thank you to all participants!

The #AtlanticWestMED Blue Economy Hackathon kicked off after the break with four parallel sessions: Sustainable Tourism, Blue Skills & Careers, Renewable Marine Energies and Decarbonisation of Maritime Fleets & Ports. Participants pitched ideas and co‑developed new cooperation concepts across both sea basins.👇

A standout moment at the #AtlanticWestMED Conference 2026 as SEA‑EU wins the Best‑of‑the‑Best Award. Category winners took the stage to pitch their projects live - and the audience cast the final vote. SEA‑EU’s compelling vision for strengthening blue skills and ocean literacy across Europe through a coastal university alliance, secured the top recognition of the conference.

🏆Proud moment at the conference as BALANCE‑MED wins the Interreg #BlueChallenge Award. This marks the grand final of a six‑day intensive training programme where three teams of carefully selected students (up to 25 years old) competed by developing a project proposal in just a matter of hours, responding to a simulated Terms of Reference and pitching it to an expert jury. Aurora Alamani, Matteo Dassatti, Laura Portela‑Couñago and Ahmed Aejeeli Ahmoudah impressed with their forward‑looking concept for rebalancing tourism in Mediterranean destinations.

Celebrating the winners of the Atlantic–WestMED Project Awards 2026 - chosen from more than 70 applications: 🏆SEA‑EU (Blue Skills & Ocean Literacy) 🏆NETTAG+ (Biodiversity, Healthy Oceans & Resilient Coasts) 🏆HY2FISH (Maritime Transport, Green Ports & Energy Transition) 🏆EM4SSF (Maritime Spatial Planning) Together, these projects show the strength of Atlantic–WestMED cooperation and the diversity of innovation driving impact across Europe’s maritime regions.

Islands, coastal territories and outermost regions took centre stage today at the #AtlanticWestMED Conference 2026. Francisco Javier Roo Filgueira (Oceanic Platform of the Canary Islands), Javier Garat (European Economic and Social Committee / Europêche), Nesrine Ziad (Leancubator), and Marianna Venuleo (Canary Islands Institute of Technology) brought concrete insights under the moderation of Irene Vecchiato from @EU_MARE. The session delivered sharp exchanges on connectivity, climate resilience, sustainable tourism and blue economy diversification.

Happening now in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria! Panel session on ocean data and knowledge at #AtlanticWestMED Conference - moderated by Martha Pascual (Atlantic and WestMED Sea Basin Assistance Mechanism). Jacques Delsalle (European Commission – DG MARE), Andrej Abramić (MADA / EU MSP Platform), Pedro Vélez Belchi (Spanish Institute of Oceanography – COC‑IEO, CSIC) and Malika Belhassen (Institut National des Sciences et Technologies de la Mer, Tunisia) shared insights on smarter observation and digital tools. #OceanEye stood out as a major step forward for Europe’s ocean monitoring.

Strong panel today at the #AtlanticWestMED Conference reviewing the Atlantic Maritime Strategy Action Plan. High level representatives from Spain (Rosa Bernado Colina), France (Isabelle Perret), Ireland (Rory O'Leary) and Portugal (Lídia Bezerra) reflected on achievements and next‑phase priorities. A timely debate as the EU advances the European Ocean Pact and the forthcoming Atlantic Maritime and Macroregional Strategy - framed by opening and closing statements from Christos Economou (DG MARE).