The Barcelona City Council will reinforce its commitment to the blue economy as a strategic sector with a new development proposal involving a direct investment of 150 million euros in key projects until 2030. The strategy continues the plan executed between 2021 and 2025, which invested over 98 million euros in infrastructure, consolidating the city as an emerging benchmark in this field.
The new roadmap, led by Barcelona Activa, maintains objectives of generating economic activity, quality employment, and innovation linked to the sea, strengthening the coastline's role as an axis of sustainable development. To achieve these goals, the strategy addresses the triple ambition of incorporating freshwater, expanding the impact of long-term and international projects, and fostering ecosystem co-responsibility with the participation of other stakeholders.
The incorporation of projects focused on freshwater responds to the need to improve water resource management in the face of drought and flooding situations. This line expands the scope of the blue economy with a more comprehensive vision of water resources, including initiatives such as sustainable urban drainage systems and water reuse projects.
The second ambition, expanding impact, focuses on larger-scale initiatives with international projection. Strategic infrastructures such as the Barcelona Maritime Technology Park, BlueTechPort, and Barcelona Sea of Science are being reinforced, adding new coastal spaces for research, innovation, and entrepreneurship.
The third pillar of the plan is the expansion of involvement from other administrations, companies, research centers, and citizens. This co-responsibility is based on public-private governance and the consolidation of the Public-Private Blue Economy Table as a coordination space.
Of the total planned investment, 146 million euros will be allocated to strategic infrastructures, while approximately 4 million euros will be directed to activity promotion programs, such as entrepreneurship and talent development. The strategy may benefit from additional funding sources of up to 75 million euros.
The blue economy is one of the ten strategic sectors identified in Barcelona Impulsa. In 2024, it generated 11.190 billion euros in turnover and grouped over 1,600 companies. Employment has grown by 7% annually, reaching 51,238 jobs in 2024, with a growth trend approaching 54,000 jobs in 2025.
Barcelona has consolidated its position as the 8th maritime city in Europe and the 27th globally according to the The Leading Maritime Cities of the World 2024 ranking. The city hosts one of the Mediterranean's main blue knowledge ecosystems, with over 7,000 people receiving specialized training annually.
