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EMB establishes its own legal organization (20 January, Brussels)

On 20 January 2016, the European Marine Board formed its own legal entity as an international non-profit association under Belgian law (IVZW). An important day in the history of the Board, eight founding members signed the deed in the presence of a Notary Public at a dedicated founding meeting in Brussels (see picture). The EMB was originally formed as an expert board of the European Science Foundation and has operated as such for almost 20 years. During that time the EMB has flourished under the European Science Foundation, expanding its membership, activities and gaining a reputation for providing high-quality science policy advice to underpin the marine research agenda in Europe. Although EMB will remain for the time being associated to ESF, the foundation of a non-for-profit association in Belgium is the first step in a process to eventually become a fully independent legal entity and to secure the future of EMB as the primary marine science foresight and strategy think tank in Europe.


Picture features the EMB IVZW founding members, directors, secretariat, and notary public. Top row left to right: Yves-Marie Paulet (UBO), Colin Brown (NUIG), Karen Donaldson (EMB), Slawomir Sagan (IOPAN), Nan-Chin Chu (EMB), Jan de Leeuw (NIOZ), Veronica French (EMB), Lars Horn (RCN), Arturas Razinkova-Baziukas (KU), Notary Public. Bottom row left to right: Erlend Moksness (IMR), Jan-Stefan Fritz (KDM), Niall McDonough (EMB), Jan Mees (EMB Chair), Gilles Lericolais (Ifremer), Mark James (MASTS), Tarmo Soomere (EAS)