Τhe Cyprus Marine and Maritime Institute (CMMI) participated on the 20th of February at the meeting of the Political Bureau of CPMR - The Conference of Peripheral Maritime Regions.
CPMR brings together more than 150 regional authorities from 24 countries across the European Union and beyond, that lobbies for its member regions’ interests at EU level.
Speaking at the meeting of the CPMR Political Bureau in Nicosia, on the topic of charting future strategies for islands and coastal communities, CMMI’s CEO Zacharias Siokouros, called on the European Union to shift from fragmented, short-term project cycles to long-term institutional capability for islands and coastal communities.
He stressed that coastal resilience “does not come from isolated projects alone,” but rather from projects with lasting delivery capacity, entailing long-term monitoring, applied research, skills development and governance platforms that remain in place well beyond funding cycles.
Siokouros spoke about the challenges Cyprus is facing, such as the complex coastal pressures, deriving from demographic, environmental and geopolitical realities that EU strategies should be able to address, such as the ongoing illegal occupation of the northern part of the island and the presence of the British Sovereign Bases that hinder integrated coastal planning and sustainable development opportunities.
The creation of CMMI, a Centre of Excellence in Marine and Maritime Research, Technology Development and Innovation had been pointed out, being described as a strategic decision that led to the emergence of a marine and maritime knowledge ecosystem that supports public and local authorities and strengthens the blue economy.
CyFoS – the Cyprus Foundation of the Sea was also mentioned, as well as its role as a cluster organisation in bringing together, through sustained coordination, the industry, academia, research and the government with the scope of shaping the future of the blue economy in Cyprus.
Siokouros concluded that future EU strategies for islands and coastal communities will ultimately be judged for their stance in relation to the reduction of policy fragmentation, strategic investments, and long-term delivery capacity in Europe’s coastal regions.
The Cyprus Marine and Maritime Institute (CMMI) was established in April 2019, with EU and National Funding, as a Centre of Excellence in research, technology development, and innovation. Driven by the needs of industry and society, CMMI is focused on transforming the marine and maritime sectors and on providing some of the urgent solutions required to the global challenges.
It has nine Research and Innovation Centres that are involved in marine technology, marine robotics, maritime digitalisation, marine observation, marine and coastal ecosystems, marine biotechnology and aquaculture, the maritime human element, marine cultural heritage, ocean governance and international cooperation.
For more information contact:
CMMI Press office
Tel: +35724506155
Email: press@cmmi.blue
