Revealing the potential of maritime transport for 'Blue Economy' in the Adriatic-Ionian Region

Maritime transport is amongst the most important drivers of change in the state of coastal and marine environment of the Mediterranean Sea. Recent studies on Maritime Spatial Planning and Blue Growth and economy reveal the significance of maritime transport both in socioeconomic and environmental terms. The objective of the present paper is to estimate the importance of maritime transport for the economy, society and environment of the region and assess the legal and policy framework under which maritime transport is developed and regulated. The analysis focuses on the Adriatic-Ionian Region (AIR). The paper builds upon existing policy and value estimation methodologies in order to develop an integrated assessment tool which can lead to a comparative evaluation of maritime transport against other drivers of the region. The effectiveness of the policy and legal framework in addressing the needs of maritime transport is then analyzed and assessed through the use of specific indicators. The integrated socio-economic and environmental analysis revealed that maritime transport is the second most important factor of change in the AIR following coastal and maritime tourism. Additionally, the analysis of the legal and policy framework led to the conclusion that a more effective integration of planning and strategic documents should be achieved. Maritime transport has often been addressed by important policy initiatives such as the European Union Strategy for the Adriatic and Ionian Region (EUSAIR) and the Barcelona Convention for the protection of the Marine Environment and the Coastal region of the Mediterranean. The results of the present paper constitute a useful input for the broader European initiative to reveal maritime potential and establish a development framework of the so called “Blue Economy”.