One week ago, the CO-WATERS consortium gathered in Rimini, Italy, for a key milestone, the project’s first in-person consortium meeting, followed by participation in ECOMONDO 2025, one of Europe’s main events on the green and circular economy.
The week was an important step for CO-WATERS. It strengthened collaboration among partners, deepened connections with stakeholders, and reinforced the project’s goal to support Europe’s blue transition in line with the EU Mission “Restore our Ocean and Waters by 2030.”
Building foundations for impact: the consortium meeting in Rimini
From 3 to 5 November 2025, CO-WATERS partners met to review progress from the first months of the project and plan the next stages of work. Hosted by the Municipality of Rimini and coordinated by NTNU and Climate-KIC, the meeting combined presentations, group discussions, and exchanges between work package leaders and pilot teams.
Partners looked at how different parts of the project connect, from Coalition building to capacity development, stakeholder engagement, Mission Ocean and Waters (MOW) Label, access to finance, and communication. The goal was to build a shared vision for how CO-WATERS can create long-term impact.
City, regional, and island pilots from Rimini, Burgas, Région Sud, Blue Cluster, La Réunion, and Crete shared updates from their territories. Each pilot presented its own challenges and priorities for implementing local blue transition pathways.
The meeting also included a study visit of Rimini, giving partners the chance to see the city’s waterfront and its sustainability efforts first-hand. The visit showcased Rimini’s work on environmental quality, urban resilience, and water management, a strong example of how cities can drive the Mission’s goals.
The final day featured remarks from Loïc Blanchard, Policy Officer, European Commission, who emphasised the importance of different communities and initiatives working together towards the objectives of the EU Ocean Mission. He also highlighted how the project can contribute to this ecosystem through its Coalition of cities, regions, and islands, strengthening collaboration across governance levels.
CO-WATERS at ECOMONDO 2025: advancing Europe’s blue transition
Alongside the consortium meeting, CO-WATERS took part in ECOMONDO 2025 (4–7 November), hosted by the Italian Exhibition Group in Rimini. The event brought together experts, policymakers, and organisations from across Europe to share new developments in the circular and green economy.
Throughout the week, CO-WATERS contributed to several sessions and was represented at the BlueMissionMed and Rimini Blue Lab stands, connecting with other initiatives supporting the Mission Ocean and Waters.
Boosting the implementation of the EU Mission Ocean and Waters
This high-level session, organised by Ecomondo STC and BlueMissionMed Consortium, the European Commission, CNR, and CPMR-IMC focused on tools, strategies, and legacy-building for the Mission Ocean and Waters in the Mediterranean region.
CO-WATERS Technical Lead Maria Loloni (Climate-KIC) and Maxime Bonnaud-Delamare from the project’s Pilot Région Sud shared how the project’s Coalition model and pilot-based approach encourage collaboration among cities, regions, and islands towards the EU Mission Ocean and Waters.
The session brought together EU and national policymakers, regional authorities, researchers, and representatives of networks and cooperation initiatives to discuss how mission-driven collaboration can create long-lasting impact and ownership beyond individual projects.
CO-WATERS & Blue Economy Synergies
Later that afternoon, CO-WATERS hosted a session focused on blue economy synergies, moderated by Stefano Valentini, Project Coordinator of Art-ER.
The discussion featured CO-WATERS Coordinator Annemie Wyckmans (NTNU), Technical Lead Maria Loloni (Climate-KIC), Ana Nava (Project & Policy Manager at ERRIN), and Alessandra Pesaresi (Strategic Planning and European Projects Office, Municipality of Rimini) and Alberto Dellavalle (Director of the Infrastructures and Environmental Quality Department, Municipality of Rimini). They presented the project’s objectives, services, and early experiences from the pilot regions.
The session highlighted how CO-WATERS will support capacity building and stakeholder engagement to enable local transitions, with Rimini representatives sharing insights from early implementation and reflecting on the value of collaboration across territories.
An open discussion with participants closed the session, focusing on what the “blue transition” means in practice and how cooperation and shared learning can accelerate progress across Europe.
Interested in this session? The replay is available here.
A strong start for collaboration
The consortium meeting and participation in ECOMONDO marked an important milestone for CO-WATERS. The week strengthened partnerships, shared early results, and positioned the project as part of a wider European network working to restore our ocean and waters.
As the project moves forward, CO-WATERS will continue building its Coalition of Waterfront Regions, Cities, and Islands, expand capacity-building activities, and support local actors in advancing their blue transition pathways.
The week in Rimini showcased CO-WATERS’ commitment to turning knowledge into tangible action and fostering partnerships that drive measurable progress in the blue transition.
