Luca is Deputy Head of Unit for Sustainable Blue Economy at CINEA (EU Climate, Infrastucture and Environment Executive Agency), the so-called Green Deal Agency. He is seconded to CINEA from the Directorate General for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries of the European Commission and he leads the team responsible for implementing blue economy actions funded by the European Maritime, Fisheries and Aquaculture Fund (EMFAF), including EMODNET, Blue Economy Observatory, MSP, BlueInvest, Flagship projects, etc. He is a scuba-diver and sailor, passionate about our oceans.   

In his previous positions at the European Commission, he has been team-leader for Sea basin strategies and maritime cooperation at the Directorate General for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, coordinator for Private Sector Development Policy in Developing Countries (Directorate General for Development and Cooperation), coordinator for Cohesion Policy in Northern and Central Italy (Directorate General for Regional Policy) and Task manager for PHARE Programmes at the EU Delegation in Poland (Directorate General for Enlargement). Before joining the European Commission he was an official of the Region Emilia-Romagna responsible mainly for programmes co-funded by the European Structural Funds, notably rural and local development policies.

Fergal McGrath is the Survey Team Leader with Advanced Mapping Services (AMS) at the Marine Institute (MI) in Ireland, contributing to the delivery of the INFOMAR national seabed mapping programme and its associated projects.  This work comprises acquisition and delivery of hydrographic, geophysical and habitats data for use in MSP, ORE, and MSFD reporting.  His background is in geology and geophysics, with over 25 years combined experience in the offshore oil and gas industry, baseline seabed mapping, and EU funded project management. 

Jan Mees is the General Director of the Flanders Marine Institute (VLIZ, Oostende, Belgium) since its establishment in 1999. Trained as a marine biologist and ecologist, he holds an MSc in Zoology, an MSc in Environmental Sanitation, and a PhD in Marine Biology, all from Ghent University, Belgium, where he is part-time Professor. Jan Mees served as elected chair of the European Marine Board from 2014 to 2019 and represents Flanders in the Belgian delegation to the Executive Council and General Assembly of the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO. His research interests include marine biodiversity, ecology and taxonomy and he is the author of more than 100 peer reviewed publications.