DG MARE has commissioned a study to provide policy makers at the EU and sea-basin levels an updated analysis of the current status and potential development of maritime clusters in the Mediterranean and Black Sea areas.
In order to realise this aim, the study:
- Provides insights into the state of the art of existing clusters in the field of the maritime economy, in the Black Sea and in each of the four Mediterranean sea-basins, and identifies their specialisation, functioning and overall performance. This helps to identify the most important maritime economic activities in each sea-basin, from a clustering perspective;
- Brings together local stakeholders to discuss issues at the cluster but also at the sector level;
- Develops a good understanding of the strengths and weaknesses, from a clustering perspective, of the most important maritime economic activities in the Mediterranean and the Black Sea areas;
- Identifies possible existing international cluster cooperation in the maritime sector between EU and non-EU countries;
- Assesses the possible implementation of maritime clusters concepts in each region and for the relevant sectors; and
- Develops a ground for future activities and policy initiatives that can best trigger innovation and promote sustainable growth at a cluster as well as at a sea-basin level.
Structure of the Final report
- Chapter 2 provides an overview of the maritime cluster patterns in the Mediterranean and Black Sea regions, based on both mapping and inventory. It pays attention to sectoral characteristics, critical mass, differences of maturity and trans-boundary cooperation.
- Chapter 3 provides an in-depth overview of the field investigations, consisting of the findings from the local focus groups combined with the key elements of the subsequent case studies.
- Chapter 4 focuses on the question how to exploit the benefits of clusters. It provides an assessment of the cross-cutting findings and is drafted above all for maritime cluster managers. It restates the rationale of maritime clusters specifically in the Mediterranean and Black Sea regions, sets out the benefits of maritime clusters, and the prerequisites for maritime cluster development in the region.
- Chapter 5 provides a Roadmap for policy makers. It identifies when to support maritime clusters and when not. It then presents seven Action lines for policy makers at all levels.
In the Annexyou will find more details on the studied clusters in the respective sea basins.