Today, the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, called for an international alliance to strengthen and extend ocean surveillance and observation.
The Alliance will support OceanEye, the European Ocean Observation Initiative, to strengthen efforts and collaboration in ocean observation globally.
President von der Leyen also announced the €50 million contribution from Horizon Europeto the International Alliance for the period 2026-2027.
OceanEye
The European Ocean Observation Initiative was first announced by President von der Leyen, as well as by the Commissioner for Fisheries and Oceans, Costas Kadis, at the 2025 United Nations Conference on the Oceans.
Relying on the European digital twin of the ocean(EDITO) and the Copernicus marine program,OceanEye aims to lay the foundation for European state-of-the-art and state-the-art infrastructure for ocean observation technologies, which supports international efforts to observe and protect the oceans.
Speaking at the opening ceremony of the European Ocean Days,President Ursula von der Leyen said: « Today, we presented OceanEye, a major initiative aimed at strengthening the EU’s driving role in ocean observation and unlocking the full potential of our ocean. We will advance scientific knowledge, boost the competitiveness of the blue economy, strengthen maritime safety and crucially protect the health of the oceans. Together with our international partners, we will strengthen a sustainable and resilient global ocean observation system.”
Ocean observation is essential to collect the data necessary to understand the state of the oceans, predict and mitigate the impacts of climate change, improve the competitiveness of our economic activities at sea and contribute to our maritime safety. OceanEye, which is a key element of the European Oceans Pact,will support the EU’s ocean technologies and innovation and position the EU at the forefront of international efforts to establish a sustainable global ocean observation system.
International Alliance
The announced alliance will bring together EU Member States and international partners through commitments to secure funding and provide a framework for coordinated action and cooperation. It will guarantee secure access to open and free oceanic data for both the EU and international partners. It will support the capabilities of the global ocean observation system, in partnership with the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commissionof UNESCO.
Next steps
OceanEye will be adopted by the Commission in the course of 2026 to take into account the feedback received following the call for contributions on the EU Ocean Observation Initiative.An announcement of contributions for the International Alliance will be organized in September. The Commission has set itself the goal of having a fully operational European ocean observation system by 2030.
Background
OceanEye is part of the European pact for the oceans,Adopted by the Commission in June 2025. In addition to the International Alliance and support for research and innovation, the initiative will also include broad educational, cultural and awareness-raising dimensions to bring the observation of the oceans and oceans closer to citizens.
The blue economy (economic activities at sea) is essential for the EU, with 70,000 km of coastline and 40% of Europeans living in coastal communities and islands. The sectors related to the oceans and the blue economy represent 5 million jobs in the EU, or 250 billion euros of gross value added, and contribute to Europe’s competitiveness, maritime and food security, energy independence, and climate change adaptation and mitigation of its effects.
source : france representation
