At a panel dedicated to the regional GROWTH4BLUE project, representatives of chambers of commerce and institutions from Slovenia, Montenegro, North Macedonia, and Serbia highlighted the importance of developing a blue economy based on innovation, as well as the need to align educational systems, the labor market, and industry so that the region can unlock its full potential.
The project is funded by the European Union through the Interreg IPA Adrion Programme and brings together partners from Greece, Italy, Slovenia, Montenegro, North Macedonia, and Serbia.
The goal of GROWTH4BLUE is to bridge the gap between market needs and available skills in sectors such as fisheries and aquaculture, shipbuilding, port economy, river and lake tourism, and renewable energy, while fostering technological excellence and green innovation.
Robert Rakar, Director of the Primorska Chamber of Commerce, emphasized that countries with extensive river basins, such as Serbia, also have strong blue economy potential.
“Your lakes—the Danube, Tisa, Sava—these are kilometers of coastline. The blue sector is interdisciplinary; it’s not only fishermen and shipbuilders, but also farmers who supply tourism, glass industry suppliers, and many others. Many companies are nowhere near the sea, yet they are still part of the blue economy,” Rakar said.
He also pointed to the challenge of lacking a clear methodology for measuring the blue economy’s contribution to GDP, as there is still no unified definition of what this sector includes.
Slovenia has only 34 professional fishermen, and what was once a strong fish-processing industry has almost disappeared. “The school system must teach young people that the sea is not just for swimming. In the blue economy, people work 365 days a year, physically, with other people, and it is a craft that must be preserved,” Rakar added.
Tanja Radusinović from the Chamber of Commerce of Montenegro noted that the port and transport infrastructure are well developed, but the blue economy in Montenegro is still mainly associated with tourism.
“We work with fishermen through a series of EU projects and are trying to narrow the gap between imports and exports. We teach shellfish farmers how to make souvenirs and introduce circularity into fisheries,” Radusinović said.
She identified the lack of skilled labor as a major issue, due to the country’s dependence on foreign workers in tourism and construction. The Institute of Marine Biology and the Faculty of Maritime Studies are introducing new programs to bring these fields closer to young people.
Dragan Pehčevski from the Union of Chambers of Commerce of North Macedonia added that the definition of the blue economy has not yet been fully formed, but explained that their approach is based on four pillars: the state, the private sector, civil society, and academia.
North Macedonia’s blue economy includes lake tourism, hydropower, fisheries, the agro sector (particularly due to its impact on river ecosystems), as well as services and procurement related to tourism.
“The agro sector is the biggest polluter of river waters, and we must focus on that. Tourism needs to be ecological. Also, digitalization can support the workforce—receptionist and waiter are standard professions, but how do we make them ‘bluer’?” Pehčevski asked.
He added that the country is facing major migration challenges: “Some 600,000 people have left North Macedonia. A huge challenge is the mismatch between educational programs and market needs.”
Co-founder of Health Tech Lab Ivana Kostić emphasized that “everyone has access to the sea, because through rivers, everyone eventually reaches it,” but placed particular attention on innovation, as GROWTH4BLUE focuses on developing experimental innovation environments known as living labs.
“In Serbia, the project is led by the Innovation Center of the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering. We have a large number of startups, companies, and research institutes working in areas relevant to the blue economy. All this expertise will be used to create a living lab within GROWTH4BLUE, where we will test innovations in real conditions,” she concluded.