European maritime policy

With our current mandate in the EU Mission Board Restore Our Ocean and Waters, we have been at the forefront of actively shaping European maritime policy since 2024.

The EU Mission Boards are expert committees that were set up as part of the EU research and innovation program Horizon Europe. They are tasked with developing so-called "missions", which are ambitious and concrete goals for tackling global challenges such as climate change, health or environmental protection. These missions are not only intended to drive scientific progress, but also to provide practical solutions to social problems.

The Mission Boards consist of scientists, entrepreneurs, politicians and representatives of civil society who work together to develop strategies and concrete projects. There are five central thematic areas for the missions:

1. adaptation to climate change including societal transformation (Adaptation to Climate Change including Societal Transformation);

2. cancer control (cancer);

3. protection of oceans, seas and inland waters (Healthy Oceans, Seas, Coastal and inland Waters);

4. climate-neutral and smart cities (Climate-Neutral and Smart Cities); and

5. soil health and food (Soil health and Food).

The members of the Mission Boards advise the EU Commission and propose measures to achieve these goals by 2030. Their focus is on transformative approaches that combine research, politics and society.

To this end, we are conducting a dialog with national and international experts from our network in order to develop a plan that is as realistic as possible and focuses on the balance between marine protection and sustainable economic activity, because the ocean is not only the largest habitat on our planet, but also our largest economic area.

European Ocean Pact

The German Ocean Foundation, together with 26 other experts, contributed to the drafting of the manifesto for a European Ocean Pact together with 26 other experts. Following the initiative of our Advisory Board member Catherine Chabaud, the document is to be published in cooperation with our Portuguese partner foundation Ozeano Azul and the Institut Europe Jacques Delorsthe document is intended to help ensure that maritime policy in the new legislative period of the European Parliament does not start from scratch, but builds on previous findings.

This is why the group of 27 experts (including many former ministers and also European Union commissioners) contributed to an important paper on European maritime policy. This manifesto seeks to advance a comprehensive agenda and advocates a holistic approach that recognizes the inextricable link between the well-being of our societies, the competitiveness of our economies and the health of our ocean and waters.

We are pleased that the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, has already made this document an integral part of her policy. This has enabled us to achieve an unprecedented political success for our ocean, which we are continuing to work on in the group of experts.