Closure of the project
After just over two years of collaboration, the WINBLUE project successfully came to a close during the final conference in Brussels on 26 June 2025. Atlantic Cities is proud to have partnered with organisations from France, Spain, Italy, Bulgaria, Malta, and Slovenia to promote gender equality in blue jobs and careers.
We’re especially grateful for the strong involvement of our member cities, Ayuntamiento de Gijón/Xixón and La Rochelle Agglo, who hosted three impactful workshops. These events helped raise awareness of gender issues in the blue economy among local stakeholders, young people, and the wider community.
Project information
- Full name: Women empowerment in the blue economy
- Objective: gender mainstreaming by facilitating women’s participation in five sectors around the conservation and sustainable use of the aquatic resources
- Duration: 2 years (May 2023 – July 2025)
- UE programme: EMFAF 2022 (European Maritime, Fisheries and Aquaculture Fund), Call Women in the blue economy (DG MARE)
- Project and ACA partners: La Rochelle Urban Community, Gijón City Council
- ACA’s role: Identification of good practices in gender equality in these sectors in France, contribution to the co-creation of plans and tools, dissemination of results.
- The total budget of the project is 1 249 891,19 €. ACA’s budget amounts to 40 761,65 €. Co-financing: 90%.
Throwback to the activities organised by our member cities
At the end of 2024 and beginning of 2025, three workshops on gender equality were organised for blue economy stakeholders in Gijón and La Rochelle, both affiliated partners of the WINBLUE project.
Pilot training workshop in Gijón (Spain)
The training workshop, “Promoting Gender Equality in Companies and Entities of the local Blue Economy,” took place on 13 November, 2024, at the Old School of Commerce in Gijón, Spain, from 9 am to 2 pm. It was the first of the six local Training Workshops planned within the framework of the WINBLUE project and the only one held in Spain. The training involved 39 participants (33 women and 6 men) from local organisations.
This training workshop was structured into four modules. Fundación Mujeres, an organisation with expertise in developing gender equality plans for businesses, provided technical assistance for the session.
Pilot training workshop in La Rochelle (France)
The training workshop took place on 16 January 2025, at the Atlantic Port of La Rochelle, from 9 am. to 4 pm. The training involved 27 participants (21 women and 6 men), from diverse organisations and representing different positions (senior management, operational staff and HR professionals from the public and the private sector, policymakers, and business owners)
One sequence consisted on interactive workshops and group discussions on 2 issues: sharing experiences on the state of play in terms of gender equality in each sector and a reflection on how to meet the challenges of professional equality and gender diversity in each sector (what objectives should be set? What actions should be taken? What results indicators should you use?).
Intersectoral Event in La Rochelle (France)
The intersectoral event took place on 14 March 2025 from 10 am to 8 pm at the Maritime Museum in La Rochelle and on a ship belonging to the Inter’Îles company. The day brought together 116 participants: 55 secondary school pupils from La Rochelle and Valence en Poitou, 23 ambassadors, students or young professionals, 20 accompanying adults and other stakeholders at the morning round table, 97 participants in the sea tour of the three ports, and 4 key witnesses.
