Cork To Host European Maritime Day 2025

16th July 2024

Cork will host 2025 European Maritime Day – the EU’s flagship annual maritime event

Cork is to host 2025 European Maritime Day – the EU’s flagship annual maritime event.

Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications, Eamon Ryan, made the announcement today, saying that it was “fitting that the event would take place in Cork which has a long maritime history”.

European Maritime Day, which was initiated in 2008, acts as the EU meeting point on maritime affairs and sustainable blue growth, and the place where “ocean leaders meet”, according to the Department of the Environment.

It is also open to the public, with local events held under the ‘EMD in my Country’ label.

Host city for the day holds a two-day conference, which is expected to be attended by more than 1,000 delegates, including experts and stakeholders from across Europe and beyond.

“Ahead of Ireland’s presidency of the EU in 2026, it is great news that Ireland will host European Maritime Day, which will take place in the great city of Cork – in partnership with Cork City Council,” Ryan said.

“Ireland is an island nation with a coastline of more than 7,400km. The sea is entwined with our trade, our history and our culture. It is fitting that Europe’s flagship annual maritime event is coming to us. It is also fitting that it will be held in the beautiful city of Cork – a city with a long maritime history and home to the second largest natural harbour in the world.”

The event will be jointly organised by the Government with the Department of Environment, Climate and Communications as lead department, Cork City Council, and DG MARE – the DG for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries from the EU Commission.

The Lord Mayor of Cork, Cllr Dan Boyle, said that “Cork's maritime heritage, culture and industry have always been core elements of the city's identity and vibrancy”.

“For centuries, the city's Coat of Arm has celebrated Cork as being a ‘safe harbour for ships’ (the Coat of Arms incorporating the Latin inscription Statio Bene Fida Carinas),” he said.

“Hosting European Maritime Day in 2025 provides international recognition and acknowledgment of Cork’s place in Europe as a maritime hub and builds on investment and collaboration with local, national, and European partners.”

The event will also be attended by a large number of exhibitors from around Europe, focusing on the blue economy’s innovation and investment potential.

Published in Cork Harbour, Power From the Sea

Published in Cork Harbour

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Cork Harbour

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