What is Blue Economy?

The blue economy is about how people live, work and create value through the sea and coastal areas. It includes ports, fishing, shipbuilding, offshore wind farms, ferry routes and coastal tourism. At its core, it asks one question: how can the sea support jobs, food, energy and transport without losing the natural conditions that make these opportunities possible?

For many years, Europe spoke about the sea mainly through the idea of blue growth. This meant looking at maritime sectors as a way to create jobs and support economic development. Over time, this view has become broader.

The European Union no longer looks at the sea only as a source of economic value. The question now is how to use the sea within the limits that nature can handle. This means protecting the conditions that make the blue economy possible: clean water, biodiversity and resilient marine ecosystems. The goal is not simply more growth, but growth that can last.

The EU groups the blue economy into seven established sectors. Each sector uses the sea differently, but all of them are shaped by it. 

Based on: European Commission (2025), The EU Blue Economy Report 2025.

These sectors do not affect coastal regions in the same way. Coastal tourism may keep seaside communities active and visible, while ports, shipping and offshore energy often carry more economic weight. Ports may not always stand out to the public, but they make many other sea-based activities possible — from cargo and fisheries to offshore wind services. Shipbuilding and marine technology add another layer by helping work at sea become cleaner, safer and more efficient.

The EU framework helps describe the blue economy across Europe, but it cannot explain every sea region in the same way. A harbour in the Baltic Sea, an offshore wind area in the North Sea and a tourism coastline in the Mediterranean all belong to the blue economy, but they operate under very different natural, economic and cultural conditions.

The blue economy in the Baltic Sea context

The Baltic Sea gives the blue economy a very specific setting. Unlike an open ocean, it is shallow, almost enclosed and slow to renew its water, so the effects of human activity can remain visible for a long time. While EU-level discussion often highlights climate impact, carbon reduction and renewable energy, the Baltic Sea Region must place water quality just as high. Eutrophication, pollution, underwater noise, seabed disturbance and shipping impacts are not side issues here; they define what a sustainable blue economy can realistically mean.

The Baltic Sea is also a cultural and historical space. For centuries, it connected coastal communities through work, trade, shipbuilding and everyday maritime knowledge. In parts of the eastern Baltic, this relationship was later interrupted by restricted coastlines and security borders. This history still matters: building a sustainable blue economy here is also about renewing people’s practical and cultural connection with the sea.

The Baltic Sea Region is not one equal market. Germany dominates the region in scale, while Sweden, Finland and Denmark stand out through innovation capacity, capital and a strong everyday marine culture. The Baltic states cannot compete with this scale and they do not need to. Their opportunity lies in focused niches: testing, adapting and combining marine technologies in ways that fit smaller markets, shorter value chains and the real conditions of the Baltic Sea.

Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania share the same sea region, but their blue economies have different profiles. Estonia’s strength is variety: passenger routes, coastal tourism, small-vessel production, marine equipment and digital services form a broad but compact base. Latvia is more concentrated, with ports and ports services, transit services and fisheries shaping much of its maritime profile. Lithuania is the most industry-oriented of the three, with Klaipėda, shipbuilding, repair and port-related activity giving it a stronger production role. Geography adds to this difference: Estonia’s islands and long coastline make coastal tourism and passenger connections more visible, while Lithuania’s shorter coast concentrates maritime activity around Klaipėda. For MarTe, this diversity is not a weakness. It is a starting point for cooperation.

MarTe’s approach to the blue economy

For MarTe, the blue economy is a practical question for the Baltic Sea Region: how can marine activities become smarter, cleaner and more useful without adding pressure to the sea?

MarTe answers this through marine technology. The focus is on solutions that can help the region understand the sea better, operate at sea more safely and use resources more carefully — for example smart ports, monitoring systems, marine robotics, sustainable aquaculture, cleaner transport and offshore energy services.

The project uses the EU’s seven blue economy sectors as a starting point, but narrows the focus to activities that take place at sea or directly affect the marine environment. Ports remain central because they connect land and sea and create the conditions for transport, aquaculture, tourism, offshore energy, testing, maintenance and new maritime services.

The EU Excellence Hubs initiative by the European Union helps projects like MarTe bring the right people together - scientists, businesses, public organisations and local communities - to solve innovation ecosystem issues and create new ideas for the sea. It builds strong local networks where everyone works toward the same goal. For MarTe, this means helping protect the Baltic Sea, making the maritime sector more sustainable and creating new opportunities connected to the sea for the future.