News

Vessel-based surveys are important in assessing and managing fishery stocks. However, vessel surveys are usually a very time-consuming, expensive affair. Moreover, working conditions at sea can be very rough, and for safety reasons even a small vessel needs a crew of at least two.

Plastic pollution in our ocean has devastating consequences for biodiversity, fisheries, tourism and coastal communities. EU has taken many steps to address this problem, either by direct legislative initiatives, by awareness-raising campaigns (such as the ongoing #EUBeachCleanup),

Europe still needs to face the legacy of the wars of the 20th century. Coastal waters around Europe are scattered with unexploded weapons (such as bombs, grenades, naval mines, known as UXO (UneXploded Ordnance)), and their quantity is unbelievable.

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has severely disrupted the energy market in Europe. To deal with this emergency, the EU is reducing its needs for energy imports and speeding up its green energy transition, as laid out in the REPowerEU plan of the European Commission.

What do Coast Guards do for maritime security in the EU waters? In this episode of Ocean, we’ll follow the COASTEX-22 joint exercise in Croatia, where vessels, helicopters, airplanes and a number of observers from European Coast Guard authorities test various coast guard functions.

Following the adoption of the Partnership Agreement 2021-2027 with Cyprus, the Commission has adopted the European Maritime, Fisheries and Aquaculture Fund (EMFAF) Programme for Cyprus, to implement the EU common fisheries policy (CFP) and EU policy priorities outlined in the European Green Deal.

In line with the ambition to protect nature and restore biodiversity, as stated in the EU Biodiversity Strategy, the Commission has acted to close 87 sensitive zones to all bottom gears in the EU waters of the North-East Atlantic.

BlueInvest Africa will take place in Seychelles on the island of Mahé on Wednesday 7 and Thursday 8 September. This is a business event, both physical and online, organised by the European Union in cooperation with the Government of the Republic of Seychelles.

The #EUBeachCleanup campaign, co-organised by the EU, the United Nations and our blue friends, the Smurfs, every year in September, around World Coastal Cleanup Day, is key to raise awareness about marine litter.

This is the moment we have been waiting for: the EU4Algae Forum is going live, and you can now submit your pre-registration. In the next three years this initiative will foster sustainable algae production and consumption in Europe.