Blue economy opportunities on the agenda as our CEO visits the German Parliament
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The CEO of John Nurminen Foundation, Annamari Arrakoski-Engardt, was invited as a guest to the Parliamentary Evening in Berlin on 23 September 2025. Arrakoski-Engardt gave a speech at an event organised by the German Ocean Foundation, which focused on the blue economy and the prospects of the fishing industry.
In her keynote speech, Annamari-Arrakoski Engardt presented examples from blue economy in Finland and the Nordics.
“According to the German Ocean Foundation (Deutsche Meeresstiftung), Germany needs concrete examples of how to implement the blue economy, as the issue has not yet been widely addressed in Germany”, Arrakoski-Engardt says.
The John Nurminen Foundation has promoted the blue economy through various projects, including in projects aimed at advancing gypsum treatment of fields. The Local Fishing Project established a market-based, permanent food chain for the use of Baltic Sea schooling fish, while the Reed Projects promote the use of harvested reed biomass as growing media and explore its potential in construction materials.
“The nutrient load from agriculture needs to be cut quickly, including in Germany, as there is a shared commitment in Europe is to keep food production clean and sustainable. Circular economy does not automatically mean blue economy. It becomes ecologically sound only when something harmful is removed from the cycle and turned into something beneficial – such as removing phosphorous from nutrient-rich fields and using it in nutrient-poor areas”, says Arrakoski-Engardt.
Arrakoski-Engardt also took part in a panel discussion featuring representation from all main parties in the German Parliament.
The shared view in the discussion was that realising the blue economy does not necessarily require major investments, but more regenerative enterprise are needed. The blue economy cannot solely rely on project-work, yet an agile actor or a country, like Finland, has a lot to gain from it.
“My message to the Parliament was that if Germany turns its attention to the seas – the Baltic and the North Sea, or other marine areas – it sets the course for all of Europe”, Arrakoski-Engards explains.
Photo: Deutsche Meeresstiftung
