SAVE THE DATE | Joint Atlantic-WestMed Stakeholder Conference
On 15 and 16 September 2026, the Joint Stakeholders Conference of the Atlantic and WestMED Sea Basin Strategies will take place in Gran Canaria, Spain, marking a major milestone in inter‑basin cooperation across Europe’s sea basins.
This landmark event represents the first time that the Atlantic Maritime Strategy and the WestMED Initiative come together within a single forum, reflecting the growing convergence of governance approaches and the shared ambition to strengthen coordination, synergies and complementarities between sea basin strategies.
The conference will bring together stakeholders from across both sea basins, including public authorities, policy makers, project promoters, experts and blue economy actors, to foster structured exchanges of experience, support the transfer of good practices, and stimulate cross‑basin project partnerships. By doing so, it aims to contribute to reducing fragmentation across EU funding instruments while reinforcing the joint contribution of both strategies to EU and regional maritime and blue economy priorities.
The programme will combine high‑level plenary discussions with thematic sessions focused on shared priorities, such as blue skills, coastal resilience, sustainable tourism and decarbonisation.
In addition, the conference will feature a dynamic, solution‑oriented hackathon format, designed to move from dialogue to concrete project ideas and cooperation pathways.
A series of back‑to‑back events will also take place on the day preceding the conference, focusing on funding opportunities, youth engagement, synergies and project development.
In line with previous years, the conference will be organised in close collaboration with the Interreg Atlantic Area, offering an enriched platform for dialogue, partnership, and innovation. In addition, a series of back‑to‑back events will take place on the day before, focusing on funding opportunities, youth engagement, synergies, and project development.
Further details on the agenda and practical arrangements will be published in due course. Stakeholders from across the Atlantic and Western Mediterranean are warmly invited to save the date and join this important moment for enhanced sea basin cooperation.
