On 4 November 2026 in Warsaw, Mercator Ocean International took part for the first time as an Observer in the HELCOM Ministerial Meeting, the highest level of decision-making for the protection of the Baltic Sea marine environment. Director-General Pierre Bahurel presented Mercator Ocean’s digital ocean capabilities, its cooperation with HELCOM and its transition towards a European intergovernmental organisation.
On 4 November 2026 in Warsaw, Mercator Ocean International took part for the first time as an Observer in the HELCOM Ministerial Meeting, the highest level of decision-making for the protection of the Baltic Sea marine environment. Director-General Pierre Bahurel presented Mercator Ocean’s digital ocean capabilities, its cooperation with HELCOM and its transition towards a European intergovernmental organisation.
This new status builds on Mercator Ocean’s Observer role in the OSPAR Convention for the North-East Atlantic, held since 2023. Together, the two conventions cover a large share of Europe’s regional seas, and both rely on harmonised, cross-border ocean information to assess the state of the marine environment and guide policy.
Taking stock of action for the Baltic Sea
The Baltic Sea remains under severe pressure from human activities and from the combined effects of climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution. The meeting brought together ministers and high-level representatives of the HELCOM Contracting Parties and the European Union to review progress in implementing the 2021 Baltic Sea Action Plan, whose goals are to be reached by 2030, and to consider the future of HELCOM action beyond that date.
Participants acknowledged that HELCOM cooperation has helped prevent further deterioration of the Baltic Sea environment, while expressing concern that recovery remains insufficient. They highlighted the need for adequate financing and continued commitment to achieving a healthy Baltic Sea.
Ocean information to support regional decision-making
In his statement, Pierre Bahurel highlighted that Europe’s maritime vulnerabilities – economic, environmental and security-related – call for ocean information that is harmonised across borders and scales.
“Today more than ever, we are faced with the reality of our maritime vulnerabilities – economic, environmental, and security. Addressing these vulnerabilities requires data and information that is harmonized across trans-boundary areas from different sources and on different scales.”
He described HELCOM as a long-standing example of the regional cooperation needed to turn observations and scientific knowledge into decisions.
“This task is beyond the scope of any one country, and HELCOM is a long-standing example of the regional cooperation and leadership we need: combining observational data with decades of scientific knowledge and expertise to inform decision-making.”
Pierre Bahurel also drew attention to Mercator Ocean’s role in developing and operating the Copernicus Marine Service and the European Digital Twin of the Ocean on behalf of the European Commission. He recalled the Commission’s proposal to bring these systems together into a European Digital Ocean System, underpinning OceanEye and the European Ocean Pact, by emphasising the importance of cooperation with regional expert communities.
“Mercator Ocean International can provide this digital ocean capability, but creating a trusted and shared source of ocean information for Europe can only be built in close collaboration with expert communities such as HELCOM.”
Shared governance for digital ocean services
Pierre Bahurel also presented Mercator Ocean’s transition towards a European intergovernmental organisation (IGO), the Mercator International Centre for the Ocean:
“And trust also requires the right governance. This is why Mercator Ocean International is transitioning to become a European intergovernmental organization dedicated to digital ocean systems and information services.”
He invited the 9 Baltic States – Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Russia and Sweden – to help shape and govern this capability by becoming Member States of the future IGO.
“Such a European public service relies critically on its ability to respond to the needs of its Member States, and this is why States are invited to not simply contribute to or use the digital ocean system, but to shape and govern it, by becoming a Member State of the Mercator International Centre for the Ocean.”
Cooperation with HELCOM
Several HELCOM databases and tools, including the eutrophication assessment tool and maritime spatial planning data, are already being integrated into the European Digital Twin of the Ocean. Mercator Ocean’s new Observer status offers an opportunity to develop this work further.
The meeting also allowed the Mercator Ocean delegation to meet representatives of national ministries and to better understand the priorities of HELCOM Contracting Parties, including the need for better data, monitoring and cross-border information exchange highlighted in the Declaration.
In the months ahead, Mercator Ocean looks forward to exploring with HELCOM and its Contracting Parties how ocean monitoring, forecasting and indicators could further support their work towards a healthy Baltic Sea.
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