Synergies and clustering between maritime projects : final report

Over the past few years, the direct management component of the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund (EMFF) has contributed to the development of the EU Integrated Maritime Policy (IMP), by fostering integrated governance of maritime and coastal affairs, sustainable economic growth, employment, innovation and new technologies, while at the same time preserving the marine environment. Many actions and initiatives that have made it possible to achieve the ambitious goals of the IMP have been funded by the EU Commission through several rounds of calls for proposals designed with a bottom-up approach, where the Commission set some general overarching objectives, thus leaving a certain leeway to applicants when it came to developing projects and new ideas. As the number of bottom-up projects funded through the EMFF has steadily increased over time, it is more important than ever to measure the actual impact of these projects even after their conclusion, and to maximise it by increasing their visibility, as well as by exchanging information, best practices and synergies with other EU project beneficiaries and funding programmes/initiatives.