MedCities actively participated in the European Ocean Days reinforcing its commitment to the EU Mission “Restore Our Ocean and Waters by 2030”. 

MedCities took part in a wide range of sessions, including the participation in the Mission Projects’ Meeting, the Matchmaking Session, the Mission Thematic Workshops, and an active involvement in the Mission Forum, engaging stakeholders at the BlueMissionMed project’s Booth. The Booth was the opportunity to provide stakeholders with an in-depth overview of the project’s solution showcase, emphasizing available innovations for water depollution and sustainable blue economy transformation. Participants were also invited to join the BlueMissionMed Support Programme, designed to scale up and implement these solutions across Mediterranean regions.

MedCities further took the opportunity to exchange with representatives of two MedCities member cities, the Metropolitan Municipality of Mersin and the city of Genoa, both endorsers of the Mission Charter.

Furthermore, MedCities also attended the special session on Mission Communities focused on the role of ports, islands, cities, and regions in the Mission’s deployment. The session closed with the announcement by Nice of the upcoming launching of the Ocean Rise and Resilience Coalition of Cities and Regions in which MedCities and a good number of members are engaged and that will take place on 7^th June in the framework of the 3^rd UN Ocean Conference (UNOC3).

MedCities highlighted the importance of local authorities addressing the three mission targets on ecosystem restoration, elimination of pollution, and sustainable blue economy, as well as the urgency of strengthening engagement and support outside EU borders, acting at a basin scale. The conference, celebrated in Brussels from March 3^rd to 5^th, 2025, provided a valuable platform to enhance collaboration, drive innovation, and strengthen regional contributions to the EU’s sustainability goals.