EU Seeks Feedback on Ocean Observation Initiative

The European Commission has launched a call for evidence to shape the European Ocean Observation Initiative, one of the cornerstones of the European Ocean Pact.

The initiative will improve access to actionable marine knowledge for everyone who relies on the ocean and aims to make Europe a global leader in ocean observation and the development of related technologies.  

The call for evidence will be open until February 27, 2026, with the Commission seeking a wide range of contributions from stakeholders, experts and citizens.  

The feedback collected will feed into the development of the Ocean Observation Initiative which aims at:

• improving European coordination in ocean observation

• guaranteeing reliable marine data collection and sharing

• making the EU a leader in the global ocean observing system

• ensuring EU autonomy in the marine knowledge value chain, from ocean observation technologies to applications for major challenges (climate change, biodiversity loss, climate and coastal resilience and security)

• streamlining marine knowledge initiatives

• delivering an operational European digital twin of the ocean.

Announced in the European Ocean Pact, the European Ocean Observation Initiative will improve EU ocean observation capacity and European autonomy in times of geopolitical change.

The initiative will work on:  

Advancing marine knowledge and research and innovation: Develop new ocean observation technologies, establish a European market for these technologies, strengthen governance, integration and development of the EU marine knowledge assets such as the European Marine Observation and Data network (EMODnet), WISE-Marine, and Copernicus Marine Service (CMEMS). Additionally, make the European Digital Twin Ocean fully operational by 2030. 

Designing a new governance for ocean observation and fostering international scientific collaboration: develop the European Ocean Observing System, ensure planning optimisation, digitalisation and simplification across legal obligations, promote international scientific collaboration, secure historical data and safeguard data flows.  

Bringing ocean observation to citizens: bring together science, education and the arts to strengthen public understanding of the ocean and improve how citizens see, sense and relate to the ocean.