Stakeholders - businesses, science, governments, NGOs - are involved in the EMD in many ways. The European Commission usually lanches a call for interest to organise EMD workshops. The EC then selects up to 24 workshops. These workshops, organised by maritime stakeholders, are at the core of the conference. Workshop organisers design, organise and manage their own sessions.
The EC is always striving towards an appropriate repartition of sea basins and different thematic sectors to be represented.
At the EMD 2026, each workshop will last 1 hour and 15 minutes.
The EMD 2026 call for workshops is now open ! Deadline: 18 Nov (23h59)
Please register on this link: Call for Workshops 2026
Workshop themes
For the EMD 2026, the call for workshop focuses on the following themes:
- Coastal communities and islands: resilience, challenges and opportunities
- Maritime security and surveillance
- Blue economy sectors
- Blue Energy (Marine renewable energy, alternative fuels, energy transition, decarbonisation, desalination, port adaptation, green transition etc.)
- Enablers (marine research, innovation, technology, observation, blue skills, Seafarers’ & Maritime Professionals’ Education, MSP, digitalisation, investment, ocean literacy etc.)
- Maritime Cooperation (regional, sea-basins, Civil Society, Public/Private Sectors, stakeholder relations etc.)
- Food security (blue biotechnology, aquaculture, fisheries, algae, biodiversity etc.)
Timing
The timing of the organisation of the EMD 2026 workshops is the following:
- 7 Oct 2025
Launch of call for workshops
- 18 Nov 2025 at 23:59 (CET)
Deadline for submission of application for workshops
- Early 2026
Selection of workshops
- End of Feb/Early March 2026
Information on the workshops is finalised and announced.
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