The DGPM – Direcção-Géral de Política do Mar, as operator of the Blue Growth program, was present at another important moment of cooperation between Portugal and the donor states – Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein – with the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for the 2021-2028 financial framework of the Sixth European Economic Area, which will strengthen Portugal with 126 million euros.
The total funding for Blue Growth will be €57.6 million, making it the program with the highest financial allocation in this cycle. It is structured around three priority areas: Green Business and Innovation, Research and also Education, Training and Youth Employment.
The event, organized by the National Management Unit, took place at Campus XXI in Lisbon and was attended by several government representatives
The MoU was signed by Norwegian Ambassador Han Brusletto and Icelandic Ambassador Unnur Oradóttir Ramet, with the Portuguese government represented by Helder Reis, Secretary for Regional Planning and Development.
Representatives of the Portuguese government equally participated in the event: Minister of State for Fisheries and Maritime Affairs Salvador Malheiro, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and Justice Gonçalo da Cunha Pires, Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs for Youth and Equality Carla Rodríguez and Minister of Foreign Affairs for Digitization Bernardo Correia. Also present were representatives of the Ministries of Foreign Affairs of Portugal and Norway, as well as Mualla Çıraklı from the Financial Mechanism Office and Maria Mineiro, Coordinator of the National Management Unit.
The DGPM was represented by the Director-General, Marisa Lameiras da Silva, the Deputy Director, Sandra Cruz, and the Director of Programs and Financing Services, Rute Assis Pires.