EU Mission ‘Restore our Ocean and Waters': €126.9 million for 26 new projects

Today the Commission announced 26 new projects that will receive €126.9 million to contribute to the EU Mission ‘Restore our Ocean and Waters’. 

The 26 new projects count 346 beneficiaries from 37 countries, including SMEs, research institutions, local authorities, higher or secondary education establishments and businesses. 

The projects involve 26 EU Member States and 9 Associated Countries, with actions from the Baltic and North Sea, through the Danube River and Black Sea, Mediterranean Sea, and across to the Atlantic.

The projects will deliver a wide variety of benefits to the ocean and waters and the communities that depend on them, such as:

• Sustainable management of sediments in the Danube river
• Protection and restoration of biodiversity in the Atlantic and the Arctic sea basins
• Combating water and soil pollution in and around the Mediterranean sea basin
• Protection and restoration of European natural lake ecosystems 
• Increasing landscape water retention capacity at the regional scale
• Protection, restoration and co-management of Marine Protected Areas and improved connectivity of Blue Corridors
• Improvement of energy efficiency of small-scale fishing fleets, reducing fuel consumption and greenhouse gas emissions
• Reconciling offshore renewable energy production with the protection of biodiversity
• Integration of socio-ecological models in the Digital Twin Ocean (replica of the Ocean to test the possible impact of decisions) to make the data more complete
• Integration of inland waters data into the Digital Twin Ocean
• Development of communication campaigns and applications to promote the sustainable consumption of seafood in the EU
• Actions to engage citizens with the ocean, through art and creative performance

The overview of projects provides more details on the projects, including budget and beneficiaries.

Through Horizon Europe calls, Mission Ocean is supporting European communities dependent on healthy ocean and waters in becoming resilient, climate-neutral and future-proof.

Background 

Established under the Horizon Europe programme for the years 2021-2027, EU Missions are a new way to bring solutions to some of society's greatest challenges. They have ambitious goals and will deliver tangible results by 2030.

Launched in September 2021, the EU Mission ‘Restore our Ocean and Waters' aims to protect and restore the health of our ocean and waters by 2030 through research and innovation, citizen engagement and investments in the sustainable blue economy. The Mission addresses the ocean and waters as one interconnected system and plays a key role in achieving climate neutrality and restoring nature.

The Mission supports regional engagement and cooperation through area-based ‘Lighthouses' in major sea and river basins: Atlantic-Arctic, Mediterranean Sea, Baltic-North Sea, and Danube-Black Sea. Mission lighthouses are sites to pilot, demonstrate, develop and deploy the Mission activities across EU seas and river basins.

Today's projects were selected following calls for proposals launched in 2023, including a peer evaluation by independent experts. 

The projects will be managed by:

• the European Climate, Infrastructure and Environment Executive Agency (CINEA) for the EU Mission ‘Ocean and Waters’ calls and the joint call between the EU Missions for the Ocean, Soil and Climate.
• the Research Executive Agency (REA) for the joint call between the EU Missions for the Ocean and Soil.

More information

Website of the EU Mission 'Restore our Ocean and Waters'

Website of the EU Mission ‘A Soil Deal for Europe

Website of the EU Mission 'Adaptation to Climate Change'

Overview of projects