On 23-24 October 2018, political leaders, investors and stakeholders met in Vigo, Spain, for the annual Atlantic Stakeholder Platform conference.

We would like to thank those of you who could join us in Bucharest for the 6th meeting for developing a Strategic Research and Innovation Agenda (SRIA) for the Black Sea basin on 5 October. We would also like to thank the Romanian Government representatives and our hosts from GeoEcoMar for all their support for this work, especially in view of the upcoming Romanian Presidency of the Council of the EU during the first half of 2019, when the SRIA will be launched.

As we approach the end of this financial period and debate the shape of the next one, here is an overview of what is being done with the share of the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund that is not divided up among EU countries but is devoted directly to the Integrated Maritime Policy, to ocean governance and to the blue economy. This share amounts to €292 million for the period 2014-2020 - roughly 4.5% of the overall European Maritime and Fisheries Fund (€6.4 billion) - and has been devoted to the most pressing issues (both environmental and economic) that our seas are facing today.

an international event dedicated to the development of projects and business in the different sectors of the marine and maritime economy. It is open to the participation of all organizations - companies and business associations, higher education institutions, research centers, entities with intervention in the marine and maritime.