CMAS Europe General Assembly in Lisbon

On November 9, CMAS Europe (World Confederation of Underwater Activities – Europe) held its General Assembly in Lisbon, Portugal, with the participation of 15 European countries, including Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czechia, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Ireland, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, and Sweden. The General Assembly was organized by the Portuguese Federation of Underwater Activities (FPAS) and took place at the headquarters of the Centro Português de Actividades Subaquáticas (CPAS), the oldest continuously active diving school in Europe, founded in 1953.

The FPAS president João José welcomed all the representatives of the national federations who were present in person and who had followed the general assembly from a distance, expressing his enormous thanks to everyone, as well as to the president of CMAS International who was also present. 

Margarida Farrajota, from CPAS, welcomed the participants and emphasised the importance of the event, recalling some stories of the founding of CMAS, where the CPAS representative was present as one of the founders of CMAS in 1958.

During the event, various new projects and important initiatives for the future of underwater activities in Europe were discussed, including:

• CMAS-EU Website: Creation of a dedicated website for CMAS Europe, which will serve as an information and communication portal between the European federations.
• Marine Conservation Course: Launch of the Dutch, Portuguese, English and French translations of the course focused on marine conservation, aimed at educating and sensitising divers and the public to the protection of underwater ecosystems.
• Youth Project Diving Training 14-18 Years: Diving training project aimed at young people aged 14 to 18, encouraging the practice of diving.
• CMAS EU Technical Committee: Presentation of a comparative study between CMAS One Star Diver course standards.
• Woman and Diving: Presentation of a study on the participation of women in underwater activities and how to promote equality and inclusion.
• Sports & Health: Project aimed at promoting the benefits of diving for health and well-being, encouraging safe and healthy practices.
• Online Webinars: Launch of online webinars, providing education and knowledge sharing between divers and experts in underwater activities.

CMAS Europe reaffirmed its commitment to CMAS International, as well as its mission to preserve the oceans, promote safe and sustainable practices in diving and underwater activities, and collaboration between national federations.

The choice of Lisbon and CPAS to host the event represented a milestone in the history of CMAS Europe, for which the entire board of CMAS Europe would like to thank FPAS.