Investigating the potential added value of ocean preservation and regeneration projects

Blue Economy Donor Fund Market Assessment Study

The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), the European Investment Bank (EIB) and the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) have organized projects for the preservation of ocean wildlife and the improvement of sustainable ocean economies for over 20 years. The organizations are now looking to expand those activities to the rest of the European region and direct surroundings as part of their efforts towards United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 14 (SDG 14), Life Below Water—they selected our team to provide support.

The EBRD awarded our team a contract for a market assessment study to determine whether there is added value for the EBRD, EIB and UfM in offering blue economy financing to help address the challenges for projects in Morocco, Egypt, Jordan, Türkiye, and Tunisia. Our team created an overview of the challenges, infrastructure, and ecosystem needs in the countries and assessed the potential added value of technical assistance and financing to help tackle these challenges. We also identified possible investment opportunities for the EBRD, EIB and UfM and the Blue Economy Fund in the five countries.

Using the outcomes of the assessment, the EBRD, EIB and UfM will determine their strategic directions and next steps to provide support in the entire region in the years to come.