Commissioner Vella consults CEOs of European Marine Board member institutes on priorities for advancing ocean observation and seabed mapping

by / Monday, 18 July 2016 / Published in Latest posts, Latest-Post-news, News

Karmenu Vella, EU Commissioner for Environment, Maritime Affairs and Fisheries met with ocean research leaders at the European Marine Board offices in Ostend, Belgium, on Friday 8 July, to discuss ocean research challenges. The meeting with Commissioner Vella follows on from a previous consultation, held in March, which identified ocean observation and seabed mapping as crucially important for managing human activities in European seas and across the global ocean. The Commissioner is also faced with the challenge of achieving sustainable Blue Growth, Europe’s long term strategy to support sustainable growth in the marine and maritime sectors.

The visit was a success, with a positive outlook on the topic of ocean observations and seabed mapping, discussing priorities for Europe and how to coordinate the many initiatives that exist.

DG MARE, the Directorate General for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, commissioned a short video of the event which is now up on the EMB homepage. While at the InnovOcean site, the Commissioner also participated in a signing ceremony to mark an agreement with the Flemish government which is providing office space for the Secretariat of the EC-funded EMODnet initiative (European Marine Observation and Data Network).

Here is the EMB Press Release from the Commissioner’s visit, issued by the European Marine Board.

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