Established in 2008, European Maritime Day (EMD) is the annual EU conference meeting point on maritime affairs and sustainable blue growth, and the place where ‘Ocean Leaders Meet’ as the slogan goes. It is also a public event reaching out to young people and citizens across Europe through local events under the ‘EMD in my Country’ label.
EMD takes place every year at the end of May in a different EU country each year. The cities are selected following a call for interest launched in the Council of Ministers. The latest call took place in 2022.
The next EMD conferences will take place in:
EMD editions after 2025:
2026: Limassol
2027: Santander
2028: Heraklion
2029: Cherbourg
These are the past EMDs:
European Maritime Day 2024, Svendborg, Denmark
The EMD 2024 took place in Svendborg, Denmark on 30+31 May. It was organised by the European Commission, the City of Svendborg and the Danish Maritime Authority. The conference featured high levels sessions, workshops, pitch stages and an exhibition with 79 stands. There were in total 1 114 participants.
European Maritime Days 2023, Brest, France
The EMD 2023 took place in Brest, France, on 24-25 May. It was organised by the European Commission, the City of Brest, the Region of Brittany, the department of Finistère and the General Secretariat for the Sea. The conference featured high levels sessions, workshops, pitch stages and an exhibition with 87 stands. There were in total 1 767 participants.
European Maritime Day 2022, Ravenna, Italy
The EMD 2022 edition took place in Ravenna, Italy, on 19-20 May as a hybrid event for 750 physical participants. All the sessions were organised in a physical format and they (plenaries, workshops, pitch stage sessions) were accessible for remote participants via webstreaming/ZOOM. The EMD was co-organised by the European Commission, the City of Ravenna, the Ministry of Infrastructure and Sustainable Mobility and the Region of Emilia-Romagna.
European Maritime Days 2021, Den Helder, The Netherlands
The EMD took place virtually from Den Helder, The Netherlands on 20 and 21 May 2021. The plenary sessions and the pitch stages were broadcasted from the Den Helder “EMD studio”, where moderators and key speakers connected remotely with other speakers. Registered participants attended these sessions via webstreaming. The stakeholders’ workshops were interactive and ran virtually via video conferencing.
European Maritime Days 2020, Cork, Ireland
Cancelled due to the COVID-19 crisis
European Maritime Days - Lisbon 2019
The EMD 2019 took place on 16 & 17 May in Lisbon, Portugal.
European Maritime Days - Burgas 2018
The EMD 2018 took place on 31 May and 1 June in Burgas, Bulgaria.
Announcements:
2018 EMD Burgas Ministerial Declaration
European Maritime Days - Poole 2017
At the heart of the EMD was a 2-day conference "The Future of our Seas" in Poole, UK, on 18 and 19 May.
European Maritime Days - Turku 2016
The EMD 2016 conference, held in Turku, Finland on 20-22 May attracted 1200 participants from the European maritime community.
They focussed their discussions on "Investing in competitive blue growth - smart and sustainable solutions", identifying and highlighting the practical steps needed to drive blue growth investments, as well as innovation and change in the blue economy.
European Maritime Days - Piraeus 2015
The EMD 2015 conference, held in Piraeus, Greece on May 28 & 29, attracted a record number of participants (1300) from the European maritime community.
On May 30 & 31, the city of Piraeus hosted a series of public happenings at various locations of the city, celebrating its rich maritime history and culture. See more: www.emdpiraeus.gr
European Maritime Days - Bremen 2014
The EMD 2014 was held on 19 & 20 May in Bremen, Germany and saw industry experts and policy makers from across Europe come together to discuss how innovation and research in the maritime economy can drive a European growth and jobs recovery whilst securing a sustainable future for Europe's seas.
European Maritime Days - Valletta 2013
The 6th edition of the EMD was held successfully in Valletta, Malta, on May 21 & 22. It attracted the attention of the European and the Mediterranean Maritime community with 847 participants who attended the 27 sessions of the Conference.
European Maritime Days - Gothenburg 2012
The EMD 2012 was celebrated in Gothenburg, Sweden. Representatives of the maritime sector from all over Europe participated in the European Maritime Day Conference on 21th and 22nd May.
European Maritime Days - Gdansk 2011
The EMD 2011 was celebrated in Gdansk, Poland. Over 900 representatives of the maritime sector from all over Europe participated in the European Maritime Day Conference on 19th and 20th May.
European Maritime Days - Gijón 2010
The third edition of the EMD was held in Gijón, Spain 18-21 May 2010. It was co-organised by the European Commission, the Spanish Presidency of the European Union and the Government of the Principality of Asturias.
European Maritime Days - Rome 2009
The EMD brought together more than 1 200 decision makers and stakeholders from throughout Europe and neighbouring regions in Rome, Italy on 18, 19 and 20 May.
European Maritime Days - Brussels 2008
In 2008, the European Maritime Day was celebrated for the first time. The event included a stakeholder conference in Brussels 19-20 May, which focused on the regional approach to the implementation of Maritime Policy, and dialogue with stakeholders. The European Maritime Day was officially launched on 20 May 2008 in Strasbourg where the President of the European Parliament Hans-Gert Pöttering, Council President Janez Janša, and Commission President José Manuel Barroso signed a Joint Tripartite Declaration establishing a ‘European Maritime Day’.