Special Envoy for the Oceans and Coordinator of OOC-9, Dr. Dionysia-Theodora Avgerinopoulou asks the private sector to invest in the Sustainable Blue Economy of Greece
In preparation of “Our Ocean Conference” to be hosted by Greece 16-17 of April, Dr. Dionysia-Theodora Avgerinopoulou, the Greek Special Envoy for the Ocean, participated in a panel discussion of the 11th Annual World Ocean Congress in Lisbon organized by the Economist. Dr. Avgerinopoulou focused on the need to redirect and increase the finance flows towards more ocean-sustainable investments. At the same time, she stated that Greece has created an enabling regulatory environment to this end.
“Greece has devoted more than 38% of the national RRF funds to Green and Blue Economy projects. Prime Minister of Greece Kyriakos Mitsotakis has shown real leadership. He has already passed the first national climate law and the necessary legislative framework for the transition to decarbonization and the blue economy is in place” said Dr. Dionysia-Theodora Avgerinopoulou Special Envoy for the Oceans, asking private sector companies to invest in Greece’s Blue Economy sector.
Other panelists included Mr. Francisco Saraiva Gomes, founding partner and chief investment officer of “Ocean 14 Capital” and Ms. Catarina Martins, chief sustainability officer of “Mowi” organization. The panel discussion was moderated by the editorial director of the Economist Impact, Mr. Charles Goodard.
“Sustainable Blue Economy is about ocean protection, technological progress, innovation, and job creation. The industries realize the need for transition. The process is ongoing and we need a more holistic view of how we envision the blue economy. We have to develop win-win initiatives that will contribute to the creation of more jobs and sustainable growth and also tackle some of the most important stresses the ocean undergoes these days, such as ocean acidification, biodiversity loss, and plastic pollution. Greece has one of the five biggest blue economy sectors in the EU. Shipping, sustainable tourism, and fishing already employ hundreds of people and offer a vast array of investment opportunities. On top of that Greece aspires to lead the way in the rising sectors of the blue economy, such as RES and pharmaceuticals, or nature-based projects. It builds hubs of innovation, upscales successful pilot projects like the GRECO islands, and plans to move towards the electrification of several of our ports and upgrade the coastal infrastructure.” she added.
