Today’s Communication by the European Commission shows clearly the potential for additional economic activity in Europe’s coastal waters and recognises the European Wind Energy Association’s(EWEA) prediction of close to a five-fold increase in offshore wind jobs in a decade.

The ‘Blue Growth’ Communication includes offshore wind as a key element of current and future economic activity around Europe’s coast, significantly contributing to Europe’s competitiveness and benefiting other industrial sectors.

“EWEA has estimated 35,000 people were employed in jobs related to the offshore wind sector in 2010” said Anne-Bénédicte Genachte, EWEA’s regulatory affairs advisor for offshore wind “and this will increase to 170,000 by 2020.”

“EWEA welcomes the Commission’s strategy for the maritime sector and hopes concrete policy initiatives will follow,” she said.

“More specifically, EWEA looks forward to the legislative proposal on Maritime Spatial Planning the Commission should publish soon. Maritime Spatial Planning is key to Blue Growth and should not be further delayed.”

To achieve its expected growth the offshore wind sector requires a policy framework that provides long term regulatory certainty.