LITTORAL 2024 "European Coastal Challenge Summit"

Post-Conference Report

The 2024 Littoral conference, held between the 24th and 27th of September 2024, was hosted by Ovidius University of Constanta, Romania, on behalf of the European Coastal and Marine Union (EUCC) community, with support from the Professional Association of Romanian Geographers, University of Bucharest, and EUCC – The Coastal Union Germany.

This was the17th traditional biennial EUCC event, which commenced in Leiden, The Netherlands, in 1987, stemming from the network’s mission of ‘bringing together the scientific community, coastal practitioners and policymakers’. In a time of increasing vulnerability for coastal areas, this year's Littoral conference brought together experts and the Young Professionals Coastal Community (YPCC) from 14 Member States, the UK and Brasil as a critical platform for discussing strategies that balance ecological preservation, coastal communities and economic sustainability.

At the opening session, Natasha Bradshaw (EUCC President) highlighted the three main challenges we face in our coastal zones: people, place and prospects. Maria Ferreira (EUCC Director of International Programme) provided a bird’s eye view of 35 years of the EUCC and presented the network’s achievements, and introduced video messages from the network’s board and long-term EUCC advisors such as Robbert Misdorp, former Chief-Engineer/Ecologist of Rijkswaterstaat the executive agency of the Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management in the Netherlands, and the founding father of the Young Professional Coastal Community (YPCC).
The conference keynotes included addresses by Céline Frank (European Commission, Directorate-General for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, A.2 Blue Economy Sectors, Aquaculture and Maritime Spatial Planning) and Christoph Klockenbring (European Commission, Directorate General for Structural Reform Support (DG REFORM), Support to Member States Reforms, Unit B.3 – Sustainable Growth and Business Environment). Céline Frank focused in her speech on maritime and sustainable blue economy policy, and she informed the participants about the new European Ocean Pact to be established under the new Commission in support of the European Green Deal targets at sea. Christoph Klockenbring explained the DG REFORM Technical Support Instrument (TSI) and the motives for DG Reform to support climate adaptation and coastal resilience planning in Member States. He demonstrated examples of TSI projects with two videos, one from the Maltese TSI on developing a National Coastal Protection Strategy for the Maltese Islands, and another TSI multi-country in the Wadden Sea to improve monitoring of migratory waterbirds and their habitats along the East Atlantic FLYWAY (EAF), both coordinated by the Coastal & Marine Union (EUCC) and its international experts. Their engagement highlights the Commission's active support for the work of our network and the EUCC community.

The conference also provided opportunities for the national EUCC associations, from Germany (EUCC-D) and Lithuania (EUCC Baltic Office), to engage in intensive dialogue on topics relating to their coastal regions, discuss current projects and develop ideas for new, joint projects. Short videos highlighting the incredible work of three national offices (EUCC-Germany, EUCC-France, and EUCC-Baltic Office were shown during the event’s traditional, open EUCC Board Meeting.

Five themes relevant to coastal challenges were given dedicated sessions. These were:

Climate change adaptation strategies;
Coastal and marine protected areas and ecosystem services assessment;
Challenging conditions and transformations for coastal communities during current crises;
Perspectives in support of a sustainable blue economy through participatory approaches and engagement with stakeholders;
Improving coastal and maritime governance and cross-sectoral collaboration.

What is Europe’s greatest coastal challenge?

Delegates in-person at Europe’s 17th EUCC Littoral conference participated in a ‘slido’ poll during the event. At the outset, over 40 challenges were identified for the future of our coasts. The most prominent concerns were around pollution, marine litter and eutrophication. Challenges across Europe were associated with climate change - specifically rising sea levels, erosion and flooding. Recognising that people are putting substantial pressure on coastal resources and biodiversity, concerns were raised about human growth, overconsumption, overpopulation, overfishing, uncontrolled tourism and coastal degradation. Systemic governance challenges were posed, such as how to achieve ‘real sustainability’ when there is mismanagement and a need to better engage coastal communities to avoid disconnection and increase biodiversity conservation.

What is your solution to Europe’s greatest challenge?

In response to climate change, stronger moves towards adaptation are deemed necessary to prepare people for any climate crisis through sustainability and good organisation. This would include managing coastal retreat, promoting nature-based solutions, and working with and involving coastal communities: “Strategic adaptive management planning co-developed with the community, based on an ambitious sustainable vision for our coast”.

In response to the challenges around pollution, there were calls for less plastic, less packaging and zero-waste supermarket options, which could be supported by an EU Packaging Directive. Specific suggestions were made for better tourism management/regulation, such as considering paid access to the coastal area to reduce people’s footprint and respect nature. With the active engagement of students in the conference through the Young Professionals Coastal Community (YPCC) initiative, there were calls to better educate young generations on adaptation and support towards the visions of young professionals.

Finally, the role of EUCC and Littoral conferences was supported, with the need for more networking and collaboration among European countries, support for NGOs acting at all levels, political awareness and prioritisation of the common good. Europe should learn more from the United Nations and across the globe, exchanging best practices and supporting each other by sharing solutions. A delegate’s response to the question ‘What is Europe’s biggest coastal challenge?’ provided a good summary of the conference: “Develop collective and comprehensive approaches to the necessary transition, moving away from unsustainable practices by translating scientific understanding and stakeholder involvement into concrete advice for policy”.

The Coastal and Marine Union – EUCC, celebrated its’ 35th anniversary in Constanta.
Since 1989, EUCC has been dedicated to promoting coastal and marine management that balances biodiversity conservation with sustainable development, protecting landscapes, cultural heritage, and coastal communities in the face of climate change. The Coastal and Marine Union are a unique network of coastal specialists, advancing sustainability across Europe by connecting experts to share best practices and insights on coastal and marine management.

Follow this link for more video stories from our network – Celebrating 35 Years of EUCC.

The next Littoral conference will take place in September 2026!

For more information about Littoral 2024 visit the Conference website and check here the Book of Abstracts.

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