OceanEye: Europe Elevates Ocean Observation to Strategic Infrastructure
On the 2nd of March, at the opening of the 2026 Ocean Days, the European Commission President, Ursula von der Leyen, reaffirmed the importance and the commitment to the European Ocean Observation Initiative, which is now being called OceanEye. She made very important remarks and assertions about marine data and announced the political will to develop a reliable and fully operational EU ocean observation system by 2030, recognising marine data observation networks as vital infrastructure, with the EU taking its fair share of efforts to contribute to the Global Ocean Observing System – GOOS.
Recurrent observations are necessary to understand continuous evolution in time and space, to learn by measuring and seeing, to decipher behaviours, patterns, and changes. Intelligent and science-based management of the marine environment, like the entire Earth system, relies on accurate, high-quality, and consistent data available and processed in real-time. Observations are not an option, but a prerequisite to avoid addressing challenges in the dark.
The establishment of an International Alliance to support GOOS was announced, comprising an initial investment of 50 MEur to contribute to it.
The OceanEye initiative will be formally presented by the Commission later in 2026, whilst a pledging event for the International Alliance will be organised in September.
For more information, read more at https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/ip_26_507
“Prof. Aldo Drago is the National Focal Point for Ocean Observations and the Global Ocean Observing System (GOOS), representing Xjenza Malta. Contact: aldo.drago@gov.mt”
OceanEye: Europe Elevates Ocean Observation to Strategic Infrastructure
