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News article19 May 2022Joint Research Centre

A new Blue Economy Observatory to monitor and promote the sustainability of our ocean related activities

The new observatory will help put the EU on the path towards a sustainable, carbon-neutral and circular blue economy.

Lighthouse and container ship.
© Frank Fiscbach - stock.adobe.com

The European Commission launches today the EU Blue Economy Observatory, a new knowledge dissemination platform for the sustainability of our oceans, seas and coastal areas.

The new observatory will focus on socio-economic components of the maritime related sectors. It will provide a detailed picture of ocean-related activities, with latest data, scientific evidence, insights, market information and findings supporting ongoing trends and developments in the EU Blue Economy.

Helping to achieve the objectives of the European Green Deal

The EU Blue Economy Observatory intends to solve the current lack of sufficient available data about industries and sectors related to our oceans, seas and coasts.

Filling this knowledge gap with the latest and most complete scientific information will help policymakers and businesses make decisions in order to build a sustainable, resilient and climate-neutral blue economy in the EU.

Moreover, the platform provides information relevant to the development, implementation and monitoring of policies, particularly in light of the European Green Deal.

A hub that brings together knowledge from different sources

The observatory is part of the transition strategy defined in the European Commission communication "Transforming the EU's Blue Economy for a Sustainable Future”, published in May 2021.

It will prominently feature data from the most recent European Union Blue Economy Report and compile knowledge from existing Commission information systems, including the European Market Observatory for Fisheries and Aquaculture (EUMOFA), the European Marine Observation and Data Network (EMODnet), the Data Collection Framework Dissemination Tool, and the Knowledge for Policy Platform. It will also interact with the Blue Forum of sea users, a new initiative to be launched by the end of 2022.

DG MARE and DG JRC will coordinate the work of the Observatory. A steering committee made up of European Commission experts from various DGs will be assembled to cover key blue economy industries and subsectors.

Details

Publication date
19 May 2022
Author
Joint Research Centre