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 funded by the European Union (EU) aiming to strengthen the EU’s prominence and influence in international Ocean governance for an enhanced global Ocean observation system.
Leveraging and promoting European Ocean observing initiatives in the global context, the project establishes a unique cross-coordination mechanism to synchronize European efforts and ensure that emerging priorities are taken into account on the international stage.
Launched in 2020, the first phase of the project ended in 2023, while phase 2 currently underway, is expected to be achieved by 2027.
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. The goal is to boost Ocean observation, facilitate data sharing, and promote the use of Ocean data for societal advantages. The project plays a direct role in facilitating European action coordination for the G7 Future of the Seas and Ocean Initiative (G7 FSOI) and the Group on Earth Observation’s Blue Planet Initiative (GEO Blue Planet), both major partnerships striving for coordinated and sustainable global Ocean observations and their use for society. Additionally, the project extends its support to the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development (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 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 with European Green Deal, The European research agenda, and EU engagement in the Ocean Decade.
Mercator Ocean’s leadership in developing
the European DTO
MOi hosts the European action coordination of the G7 Future of the Seas and Ocean Initiative (FSOI) Coordination Centre. The EU action coordinator works with the other G7 FSOI coordinators to form a distributed Coordination Centre that implements the initiative’s activities under the guidance of the G7 FSOI National Focal Points and the Working Group. Through the G7 FSOI, the EU4OceanObs action works at the ‘upstream’ end of the value chain to increase global Ocean observations and data sharing based on EU priorities.
About the G7 and the FSOI
The Group of Seven (G7) is an intergovernmental organisation consisting of representatives from Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States. The European Union is also a 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 5 main action areas. These include on enhancing global Ocean observations, and Ocean assessments and reporting, improving data sharing infrastructure, regional observing capacity, and 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.
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
MOi hosts the European (EU) Office of the Group on Earth Observations (GEO) Blue Planet Initiative. The EU Office together with the US Office, which is hosted by NOAA and the University of Maryland 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 activities, 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.
About the GEO and its Blue Planet Initiative
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.
The Blue Planet Initiative 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, by building tools that meet these needs – scientific cooperation and co-design with the users, and by strengthening and transferring capabilities – capacity development activities.
GEO Blue Planet tackles the end of the 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 from high-level partners such as UNEP and regional IOC-UNESCO offices to end-users.
Mercator Ocean and GEO
The implementation of EU4OceanObs has been delegated to MOi, 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 MOi, 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 MOi 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.
Mercator Ocean International
& EU4OceanObs
The implementation of EU4OceanObs has been delegated to MOi, 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 MOi, 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 MOi 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.