Professor Regina Salvador

Jean Monnet Chair holder

The Jean Monnet Chair “Integrated Maritime Policy and Blue Growth” provides a focal point for teaching, research and public discussion about the EU’s relationship with the seas, oceans, and coastal regions in terms of planning. Established in 2017, the Chair – assigned to Professor Regina Salvador – is supported by a grant from the EU’s Erasmus+ Programme for Education, Training, Youth and Sport

The Chair aims to bring together knowledge from within the various schools and research centres of NOVA University of Lisbon and beyond. Its main goal is to take advantage of the contemporary attention given to maritime affairs in Portugal, and to provide researchers, public authorities, industry and civil society with the tools to improve their understanding of how the seas behave, as well as to help develop new EU products, services and jobs.

Since 2005, maritime issues have increasingly become a top priority in the EU agenda. The need for an “all-embracing maritime policy” was designated as one of the Commission’s strategic objectives for 2005-09. As Portugal is the member state with the largest area of jurisdictional waters in the European continent and one that will have the largest maritime area following UN negotiations on the enlargement of the Continental Shelf, the Chair is ideally situated within a context of growing challenges that need to be met by joined-up, interdisciplinary thinking that takes into account local as well as global issues. The IMP (Integrated Maritime Policy) philosophy intends to facilitate higher returns for Europe but with much less impact on the environment.

Teaching will comprise two formal courses, “EU IMP” and “EU Maritime Economy and Blue Growth”, open to all second and third year options held at NOVA; a summer school; courses aimed at a public with limited contact with EU studies (engineers, urban planners) and two e-learning Masters open to all Portuguese-speaking countries. It will also host sessions for public officials and companies.

Public events comprise two conferences and three seminars. The first conference, “The European Sea”, will launch the Chair’s activities, with the second dealing with “EU Maritime Basins, Clusters and Regions”. Proposed workshops include “maritime spatial planning”, “coastal and maritime tourism” and “smart port-cities”.