The Communication, which was presented by the European commissioner for fisheries and maritime affairs, Maria Damanaki, outlines the approach the EU will take to support the ocean energy sector until 2020, starting with the creation of an Ocean Energy Forum.
Sian George, CEO, Ocean Energy Europe, said: “The prize for securing global technology leadership in ocean energy is huge, but the challenges faced by the sector are significant. The Commission clearly recognises this and has moved to help the industry bridge the gap to commercialisation.”
“The initiative provides a platform for coordinating support and risk sharing which will ultimately provide practical support and get devices in the water,” she added.
The Forum will be made up of ministers, regional director and industry CEOs from across Europe.
The Commission says it plans to use the outputs from the Ocean Energy Forum to create a European Industrial Initiative for ocean energy by 2017.
