EU4OceanObs
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EU4OceanObs
Since November 2020, Mercator Ocean International (MOi) has been entrusted by the European Commission with the implementation of the EU4OceanObs project.
What is EU4OceanObs?
EU4OceanObs is a project aimed at strengthening the EU’s prominence and influence in international Ocean governance (Phase 1 launched in 2020 which ended in 2023) for an enhanced global Ocean observation system (Phase 2 currently underway and expected to be achieved by 2027).
EU4OceanObs 2.0 will build on its original mission to catalyse essential partnerships between European and international infrastructures and programmes across the Ocean observing value chain. The project will continue its work through its coordination actions in the G7 Future of the Seas and Ocean Initiative and the Group on Earth Observation’s Blue Planet. It will expand to provide EU-to-international engagement support for the Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development.
The first EU4OceanObs phase’s goal was to make the EU more visible as a global actor, defend its interests and strengthen its influence in international decision-making bodies related to the collection and use of ocean observations. The project supported two major coordination actions:
- The G7 FSOI which increases deployments of Ocean observing infrastructure and improves access to global data to support EU requirements
- The GEO Blue Planet which develops and promotes European marine and maritime applications from Ocean observing data.
EU4OceanObs achievements 2020 – 2023
Objectives
EU4OceanObs aims
- to enhance and fortify key collaborations between European and international infrastructures and programmes spanning the entire Ocean observing value chain
- to increase Ocean observation, facilitate data sharing, and promote the use of Ocean data for societal advantages to meet EU needs
- to facilitate European action coordination for the G7 FSOI and the GEO Blue Planet
- to provide extended support to the UN Ocean Decade, offering European-to-international engagement support.
In navigating the international landscape, EU4OceanObs leverages and promotes European Ocean observing activities, offering a unique cross-coordination mechanism to align European efforts and ensure that evolving priorities are acknowledged globally. Recognising the increasing importance of Ocean observation and knowledge, the project supports increased global Ocean observation towards restoring Ocean health, conserving biodiversity, combatting climate change and marine pollution, and fostering a sustainable blue economy.
By promoting EU positions and improving EU coordination and engagement of European Ocean observing assets and programmes at the global level, EU4OceanObs is strongly aligned with the European Green Deal EU engagement in the Ocean Decade, and more recently, the EU Ocean Pact.
Mercator Ocean’s leadership in developing
the European DTO
Mercator Ocean leads the European coordination efforts for the G7 Future of the Seas and Ocean Initiative (FSOI) through its Coordination Centre. The EU action coordinator collaborates closely with other G7 FSOI coordinators to form a distributed Coordination Centre, responsible for implementing the initiative’s activities under the guidance of the G7 FSOI National Focal Points and the Working Group. Through the G7 FSOI, EU priorities and EU4OceanObs actions - spanning from Ocean observations to applications - are at the forefront to advance global Ocean observations and data sharing.
About the G7 and the FSOI
The Group of Seven (G7) is an intergovernmental forum consisting of representatives from Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States. The European Union also participates as a non-enumerated member, holding all the privileges and obligations of membership but without the right to host or chair a summit.
In 2016, the G7 agreed to take an ambitious and holistic approach to tackling Ocean issues, and developed the FSOI with five main action areas. These areas include:
1) enhancing global Ocean observations, Ocean assessments and reporting
2) improving data sharing infrastructure
3) regional observing capacity
4) political cooperation
The G7 FSOI offers a mechanism to address the challenge of strengthening and sustaining Ocean observations through the coordinated actions of the G7 members, who together fund more than half of global Ocean observations. The activities of the working group are carried out in partnership with global programmes, such as the Global Ocean Observing System (GOOS), or programmes of the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development.
The Initiative’s activities focus on resource mobilisation and international commitments to implement the Ocean observing system, monitoring those commitments, and aligning them across the G7.
Through EU4OceanObs, Mercator Ocean International continues to provide indispensable coordination support to the G7 FSOI. The coordination of EU action of the G7 FSOI established by Mercator Ocean International works closely with the European Commission to pilot efforts where the FSOI can add unique value addressing Ocean observation gaps and requirements based on EU priorities and interests.
MOi and Global Ocean Observing System (GOOS)
The Global Ocean Observing System (GOOS), led by the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) of UNESCO and co-sponsored by the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO), the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), and the International Science Council (ISC), functions as the enduring global infrastructure for observing, modelling, and analysing marine and Ocean data. MOi, together with Ifremer and Météo-France, stands as one of the three French members of EuroGOOS, the European arm of GOOS. In 2022, MOi further solidified this partnership by formalising it through a Memorandum of Understanding with EuroGOOS, aiming to enhance collaboration in advancing Ocean observations and developing the European Ocean Observing System (EOOS) Framework.
Through EU4OceanObs, MOi continues to provide indispensable coordination support to the G7 FSOI. The EU action coordination of the G7 FSOI established by MOi works closely with the European Commission to pilot efforts where the FSOI can add unique value addressing Ocean observation gaps and requirements based on EU priorities and interests.
Supporting
GEO Blue Planet
Mercator Ocean leads the Group on Earth Observations (GEO) Blue Planet Initiative Secretariat and hosts its European (EU) Office. The EU Office together with the US Office (hosted by NOAA) and the Asian Office (hosted by the Korea Maritime Institute) make up the GEO Blue Planet Secretariat, providing scientific and logistical support to all GEO Blue Planet Working Groups, and developing global partnerships. The European Office works to ensure better uptake and visibility of relevant European actions, contributions and priorities within GEO Blue Planet and the wider GEO community in close relation with EuroGEO.
GEO Blue Planet is the Ocean and coastal arm of the Group on Earth Observations (GEO) – an intergovernmental partnership, composed of more than 100 national governments and 100 Participating Organisations that works to improve the availability, access and use of Earth observations for a sustainable planet.
GEO Blue Planet works to ensure the sustained development and use of Ocean and coastal observations for the benefit of society by:
- Identifying the information needs
- Consolidating stakeholder engagement
- Building tools that meet these needs
- Fostering scientific cooperation and co-design with the users
- Strengthening and transferring capabilities
- Implementing capacity development activities.
GEO Blue Planet tackles the whole value chain from observations to applications based on a network of Ocean and coastal-observers, social scientists and end-user representatives from a variety of stakeholder groups including high-level partners such as UNEP and regional IOC-UNESCO offices.
UN Ocean Science Decade
EU4OceanObs is mapping all EU Ocean observing and forecasting contributions to the UN Ocean Decade. The effort bridges Ocean Decade priorities with EU policies and research, fostering cooperation and maximizing societal benefits through enhanced Ocean observing, modeling, forecasting, data sharing, and applications.
By advancing the development of a digital twin of the Ocean and promoting best practices in data integration, EU4OceanObs supports UN Ocean Decade Challenges 6 (Ocean hazard resilience), 7 (a global Ocean observing system), 8 (digital Ocean representation) and 9 (Ocean knowledge and capacity building).
EU4OceanObs was recognized as a Decade Implementing Partner (DIP) on October 2024 to serve as the catalyst for implementing the roadmap between the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO (UNESCO-IOC) and the European Commission’s DG Research and Innovation for cooperation on the Ocean Decade goals. Aligned with EU priorities in digital innovation and the Challenge 8 of the UN Vision 2030 on creating a digital representation of the Ocean, EU4OceanObs supports the Decade Digital Ecosystem (DDE), an initiative being developed on a global scale and led by:
- OceanPrediction Decade Collaborative Center (DCC)
- Decade Coordination Office (DCO) for Ocean Observing
- Decade Coordination Office for Ocean Data Sharing
EU4OceanObs’ commitment to bridging European and international efforts ensures that the knowledge and tools developed within the EU can be leveraged to benefit the global community.
EU4OceanObs also supports the Call for International Mobilization, led by OceanPredict/ForeSea and Mercator Ocean International, to advance the Ocean prediction capabilities in response to societal needs. You can sign it now to join global efforts.
Mercator Ocean International and EU4OceanObs
Mercator Ocean International and EU4OceanObs
The EU4OceanObs project is implemented by Mercator Ocean International, entrusted by the European Commission, since November 2020. The implementation of EU4OceanObs has been delegated to Mercator Oceann, a provider of Ocean science-based services of general interest focused on the conservation and the sustainable use of the Ocean, seas and marine resources since 2010.
A team has been set up, fully integrated at Mercator Ocean, to pilot EU4OceanObs and who work side by side with the European Research Executive Agency, and an advisory board comprising representatives across different European Commission Directorate Generals, including Research and Innovation (RTD), Maritime Affairs and Fisheries (MARE), Defence Industry and Space (DEFIS) and International Partnerships (INTPA).
The project taskforce, headed by the Mercator Ocean Scientific Director, Pierre Yves Le Traon, includes EU action coordinators for the GEO Blue Planet Initiative, the G7 FSOI, and the EU to international engagement for the Ocean Decade.