"By harnessing the power of algae, we can create new value chains and jobs, stimulate innovation, restore ecosystems, and promote sustainability across multiple industries,” the EU Commission said.
Photo: European Commission / EU Algae Awareness Summit
The EU’s algae sector has come together in Berlin this week for the 2nd EU Algae Awareness Summit, exploring how algae and seaweed can contribute to the EU’s blue bioeconomy and environmental goals.
Costas Kadis, Commissioner for Fisheries and Oceans, and Alois Rainer, Germany’s Federal Minister of Food, Agriculture and Regional Identity, opened the second day of discussions this morning, focusing on innovation, financing, and governance frameworks for the sector.
The EU has stated its ambition to harness algae as a "strategic resource" for tackling some of the bloc's most pressing challenges - from climate change and food security to marine ecosystem regeneration and sustainable job creation in coastal and rural regions.
"By harnessing the power of algae, we can create new value chains and jobs, stimulate innovation, restore ecosystems, and promote sustainability across multiple industries,” the Commission said in a news release.
The Berlin summit builds on the 2022 Commission Communication “Towards a Strong and Sustainable EU Algae Sector” and forms part of the European Ocean Pact, which aims to strengthen the EU’s blue economy and marine governance.
The Commission indicated it plans to scale up European algae production, with the launch of the Blue Bioeconomy Innovation Initiative expected by 2027, and voluntary growth targets set to support industry development.
Felix Leinemann, Head of Unit for Blue Economy Sectors at the European Commission, presenting at the 2nd EU Algae Awareness Summit in October 2025.
Photo: European Commission / EU Algae Awareness Summit
The discussions in Berlin follow a report published by the Commission last month, the Study to Support a Sustainable EU Algae Industry, which provides a detailed assessment of algae’s environmental and economic potential across the EU - and argues for a "bright future" for the sector.
The report, commissioned by the European Climate, Infrastructure and Environment Executive Agency (CINEA), outlines how both micro- and macroalgae could play an important role in Europe’s transition to a sustainable economy, with a wide variety of applications, including replacing fish-based ingredients in aquaculture feed, thus reducing pressure on wild fish stocks, and producing biofertilisers and biostimulants for agriculture that improve crop health and prevent nutrient runoff and eutrophication.
The study also highlighted algae's potential in cleaning wastewater and improving water quality, and mitigating climate change through carbon sequestration, both in seaweed forests and farmed algae.
The study estimates that seaweed forests in EU waters, covering roughly 902,000 km², could capture up to 23.5 million tonnes of carbon annually - equivalent to 86 million tonnes of CO₂. Expanding sustainable seaweed farming by just 10,000 km² could sequester an additional 1.1 million tonnes of carbon per year, generating an economic value of €17.4 billion in avoided climate damages, the analysis suggests.
However, challenges remain: production costs are still high, data gaps persist for some applications, and overall production volumes remain low. The EU currently harvests around 130,000 tonnes of wild algae annually, with a further 132,700 tonnes collected from beaches - a fraction of the estimated 1.17 million tonnes available, according to the report.
