Cork is a city shaped by the sea and now proudly leading the way as the living embodiment of the European Maritime Day Blue Cities Declaration.
Here in Cork we understand that oceans are not just part of our geography, they are part of our identity, our economy, our environment and our future.
From climate resilience to smart port innovation, from biodiversity stewardship to the circular blue economy, Cork is showing how a coastal city can operationalise Europe's ambitions for sustainable seas and thriving coastal communities.
We are an historic port city, a city with one of the finest natural harbors in the world. A port that faces the world in terms of trade, but also a place that historically has seen people move in and out of our place of living.
Our legacy as a maritime city drives our future and its through true collaborative partnerships here in Cork that this is achieved.
A resilient ocean future demands skills, imagination and deep public connection to the sea. In Cork we try to do this through a combination of partnerships with the public sector, the private sector and NGOs, but both particularly with local communities. Without the identification of why the sea and oceans and coasts are important to us, the public buy-in does not happen and initiatives cannot occur. We've encouraged many such initiatives in the Cork Harbour area and we're glad to see the fruits of those initiatives coming to being.