CirclesOfLife at the European Parliament: advancing sustainability and competitiveness in European shipbuilding

On 4 November 2026, Green Marine Europe participated in a policy lunch hosted by MEP Jeannette Baljeu at the European Parliament in Brussels, in collaboration with the Horizon Europe project CirclesOfLife consortium. The discussion focused on how circularity and environmental performance can strengthen the competitiveness and resilience of Europe's maritime manufacturing industry.

Bringing together EU policymakers and representatives from across the maritime value chain, the event highlighted a central message: sustainability should not be seen solely as an environmental objective, but as an increasingly important driver of European industrial competitiveness.

Turning circular ambitions into practical solutions

The discussions explored how the results of CirclesOfLife can support the transition towards more circular and resource-efficient maritime manufacturing.

Benoît Loicq (SEA Europe) and Jorinus Kalis (Damen Shipyards and CirclesOfLife coordinator) presented the project's contributions, including the development of the Shipyard Environmental Performance Index (SEPI), designed to help shipyards identify environmental hotspots and opportunities for improvement, and a blueprint for Digital Product Passports for ships.

Participants also stressed the importance of reliable environmental data, regulatory clarity and stronger cooperation across the maritime value chain, from shipbuilding and operation to ship recycling.

The exchanges reflected the growing connection between environmental performance, industrial resilience and European strategic autonomy, particularly in the context of emerging European policy initiatives such as the European Industrial Maritime Strategy and the Circular Economy Act.

Green Marine Europe's contribution

As a partner in the CirclesOfLife consortium, Green Marine Europe was represented by its General Manager, Antidia Citores, who highlighted the program's role in supporting the further uptake and exploitation of the project's results.

Through its environmental certification program, Green Marine Europe will help connect these results to the wider maritime value chain, supporting their dissemination and practical implementation.

This contribution reflects Green Marine Europe's commitment to encouraging measurable environmental progress and connecting industry initiatives with a common framework for continuous improvement.

The policy lunch also emphasised the importance of moving beyond research and demonstration projects to support the broader industrial uptake of innovative solutions.

Read the CirclesOfLife press release: https://urls.fr/4IodVV 

Green Marine Europe thanks MEP Jeannette Baljeu, the CirclesOfLife consortium and all participants for this constructive exchange on the future of European maritime manufacturing.