The European Commission has adopted the OceanEye initiative to expand the European Union’s (EU) ocean observation capabilities, targeting a 35% share of the market for ocean observation technologies by 2035.
To address current fragmentation in data collection, the initiative will introduce a structured governance approach to align national investments and reduce duplication. The specific legislative details are scheduled to be outlined in a proposal for an Ocean Act at the end of this year.
This framework will support a European Digital Ocean System, establishing a single-entry point for marine data by connecting existing services such as the Copernicus Marine Service, EMODnet, WISE Marine, and WISE Freshwater. The system will integrate the European Digital Twin Ocean, a virtual representation of the sea designed for real-time monitoring and predictive modelling, which is expected to be fully operational by 2030.
“With OceanEye, Europe will lead the race to understand our ocean, to protect it, and to sustainably harness its potential,” said Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission.
“This is about using science and good governance to understand our ocean and secure our future. We call on all Member States and global partners to join us to support the Global Ocean Observing System and make OceanEye a reality.”
The Commission is allocating €92 million from the Horizon Europe programme to launch the initiative. This financial commitment includes €50 million to strengthen the EU contribution to the Global Ocean Observing System (GOOS) and €12 million to support resilient global ocean data systems.
A further €30 million will be channelled through a European Innovation Council thematic challenge focused on ocean observation technologies to foster public-private partnerships and accelerate the transition of sensors, autonomous systems, and artificial intelligence (AI) from research to the commercial market.
