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Some 9,000 participants, among them exhibitors, speakers, project organisers and visitors populated the European Development Days 2018 under the timely motto She is We. Visitors queued for long times to get into the spacious premises of the Tour and Taxis complex on 5 and 6 June. Security was strict and queuing continued until after passing the reception desk. But it was definitely a worthwhile wait. A string of high-level conferences, workshops and the EDD Village with a wide variety of booths interspersed with meeting and rest areas created a conducive environment for exchanges on policies and practices. Commission President Juncker was one of the speakers of the opening ceremony.

Mundus maris and its friends and allies teamed up again this year to celebrate World Ocean Day, 8 June, together around the globe under the UN motto focused on protecting the ocean – and ourselves - from hideous plastic pollution. Celebrations entailed a quite diverse programme of activities, starting with the youth contest for Mundus maris Awards. Preparatory and awareness raising activities took place in several countries. Celebrations reached their culmination with special events on three continents: taking off in Brussels, Belgium, and followed by other events in Argentina, Cameroon, Nigeria and Senegal.

More than seventy individuals and groups of young people sent in their works in response to the invitation to tell a story in words or moving pictures about this year's motto of World Ocean Day "For a Plastic Free Ocean". They came from six countries: Belgium, Cameroon, Indonesia, Kenya, Nigeria and Senegal.

An international jury looked carefully at their submissions and chose the winners across the six categories of the contest.

Announced with some fanfare and pride about the on-going expansion in the numbers and scope of certified fisheries, the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) had invited to a podium discussion at the overbulging Brussels Seafood Fair, 24 to 26 April 2018. More exhibitors than ever are vying for business despite or perhaps because of globally shrinking production. Have so many more fisheries suddenly become sustainable?