Secretary of State for North Sea De Backer calls “ThinkTank North Sea” into life | Compendium Coast and Sea

Secretary of State for North Sea De Backer calls “ThinkTank North Sea” into life

At the naval base of the Port of Zeebrugge the long-awaited Long-Term Vision North Sea 2050 was presented. The goal was to produce a strong, widely supported vision for the future of our North Sea originating from a bottom-up approach and working closely with different stakeholder. In view of the general success of this process and the rapid developments taking place in the North Sea, a continuation of this trajectory is facilitated in a "ThinkTank North Sea" to support science based decision making.

The idea is to work on annual themes that will be discussed within thematic working groups. These themes are to be selected out of calls from both members of the think tank and external parties. The principle always remains the same, namely to work transparently with equivalence of members in a neutral but scientifically substantiated manner to address major societal challenges that arise with regard to the North Sea.

The aim of the think tank is three-fold:

  • Expanding support;
  • Benefit from the unique dynamics to enable a strong vision development;
  • Formulate science-proof advice for themes relating to the North Sea.


The think tank will alternately be chaired by VLIZ and the RBINS.


To keep up-to-date with this process and further information, a website is already available: http://www.thinktanknorthsea.be/