The European Ocean Days returned to Brussels in March 2026, and once again, the city proved it can hold an impressive spectrum of ocean activities: panel discussions on the blue economy, sustainable fisheries, and blue careers; parallel events at the European Parliament and Commission; and even a virtual‑reality installation that briefly turned you into an orca. We left stimulated with an updated sense of where Europe’s ocean ambitions are directed, and also reconnected with the community after spending invaluable and irreplaceable quality time with colleagues from across Europe (and beyond).
The announcement of the week came right at the opening, when European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen presented the EU OceanEye initiative. Beyond the headline €50 million investment, OceanEye was framed as a step toward European strategic autonomy in marine knowledge: Europe depends on a small number of global suppliers for observing technologies, which creates vulnerabilities. At JPI Oceans, we can confirm this statement with a hot-off-the-press audit of the state of Europe’s surface ocean carbon observations. OceanEye is meant to take ocean observation to the next level by developing next‑generation autonomous systems, reinforcing the full knowledge value chain from sensors to modelling, and closing persistent data gaps. The initiative will draw on long-standing European observation efforts such as the European Ocean Observing System (EOOS), including its JPI Oceans-led Resource Forum.
The OceanEye, however, is only part of a larger EU package of ocean files, anchored in the Ocean Pact unveiled last June in Nice. At the stakeholder consultation to inform the EU Ocean Research & Innovation Strategy, our Executive Director Thorsten Kiefer and companion panellists tried to fill in on questions about how to ensure Europe’s excellence, private sector connection, and global leadership in ocean R&I. The exchanges pointed to the now familiar issue of fragmentation across projects, frameworks, and Member States. Our own discussion contributions drew on 15 years of JPI Oceans experience, advocating for strong thematic attention to climate-change-related ocean R&I, for diversification of funding that includes private capital to upscale European ambitions on ocean observing, and for stronger mechanisms that support the effective transfer of knowledge into policy and other decision-making.
JPI Oceans was also represented in a very different conversation on blue careers and the next generation of ocean professionals. Our Science‑Policy Advisor Lavinia Giulia Pomarico went onstage to share experiences from the All‑Atlantic Intergenerational Programme co-led by JPI Oceans. Around the Atlantic, talent is not the issue, she said; accessibility is. Visa hurdles, funding uncertainties, administrative burdens, and a lack of a clear entry point often hold young ocean professionals back. The programme doesn’t create new schemes but connects and amplifies what already exists by making opportunities more visible.
Other moments during the week examined the national, regional, and local levels. At the EU Mission Ocean Forum, JPI Oceans Board member Peter Grönwoldt from the German Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space referred to JPI Oceans as an example of longstanding cooperation among countries and across disciplines, a fitting recognition in a forum focused on implementation of solutions between now and 2030. The “problem in the middle”, this is, weak coordination at the Member State level, was repeatedly cited as the bottleneck preventing local and EU level ambition from meeting in practice. This is precisely the space where transnational coordination platforms can make a difference.
To close the week, we organised together with the University of Copenhagen a small but timely side event in our office: “Breaking Silos: Multi-Use Maritime Surveillance Systems.” With both OceanEye and the Maritime Domain Awareness action high in the Ocean Pact, the event brought together domains that rarely meet, including marine scientists and the defence sector, to discuss how Europe’s diverse information-sharing platforms could be better aligned. It was a small first step, but a valuable one.
Although not in Brussels, the VLIZ Marine Science Day also took place during the same week. Young marine scientists followed predoc presentations and visited the exhibition area, including the JPI Oceans booth. Our now familiar quiz once again drew participants who tested their knowledge of our Joint Actions.
Taken together, all these discussions and events pointed in a similar direction. It became clear that Europe’s ocean community continues to adapt to a changing context in which priorities have shifted to practical, connected solutions. Several written consultations have just closed while others are ongoing or expected. OceanEye will launch this summer, the European Ocean Act and Ocean R&I Strategy are in the making, and the All-Atlantic Forum is around the corner. At JPI Oceans, we’re committed to keeping up with that pace, contributing wherever our expertise can make a difference, and offering participation where implementation capacity is needed.