The sea, a space of the future
Announced in Nice on September 14, 2021, as part of the Conference on the Economy of the Sea, the Fondation de la Mer’s think tank “Avenir des Mers” (Future of the Seas”) will publish a study on a specific topic each year. The first study, focusing on the seabed, will be published next spring.
Created in partnership with Ifremer, Isemar (Institut Supérieur d’Économie Maritime), FMES and the Institut de l’Océan of the Sorbonne University Alliance, Avenir des Mers is co-directed by Vincent Bouvier, former Secretary General of the Sea, and Pascal Ausseur, former Maritime Prefect, Director General of the FMES Institute (Fondation Méditerranéenne d’Études Stratégiques). This initiative is supported by the French Maritime Cluster and the Blue Society Laboratory.
An ambitious project at the service of citizens and public authorities
France has the second largest maritime area in the world (almost 11 million km2). Over the past 20 years, various initiatives have contributed to raising awareness of France’s assets and responsibilities, including: the Interministerial Committee for the Sea, the French Maritime Cluster, the Conference on the Sea Economy and the creation of a “Ministry of the Sea”.
All these initiatives contribute to better identify maritime issues. However, given the large number of initiatives, it is difficult to define the priorities for combining a clean sea, the development of maritime tourism and trade, powerful and competitive ports, the protection and defense of our interests at sea, the development of marine sciences, and an efficient maritime industry…
In this context, the think tank Avenir des Mers wishes, in complete independence, to contribute to the knowledge on these priorities and to the definition of necessary decisions.
An annual study topic
The Fondation de la Mer think tank studies high-stakes maritime issues in order to make recommendations and to initiate a free and informed.
Each year, a specific subject will be published on. The first study will focus on the seabed, a subject at the heart of today’s environmental, economic, strategic and scientific issues. It will be published in spring 2022.