The European Commission has established an EU Ocean Board, a high-level expert group supporting the implementation of the EU Ocean Pact, chaired by Commissioner Costas Kadis.
We are very proud to have been selected as members of this Board, which comprises 28 members and observers, and to be represented there by our Chair Fiona Grant. The inaugural meeting of the Ocean Board was held on 31 March 2026.
In her intervention, Fiona presented a vision for the Board’s strategic priorities as well as highlighting the added value of the Board in support of the EU Ocean Pact.
Her intervention noted:
- The importance of ensuring that the Research and Innovation Strategy fully aligns with its vision and scope of the EU Ocean Pact to ensure delivery
- The importance of securing funding to support delivery of the Ocean Pact and its separate strategies
- That appropriate legal, governance and resource support will be needed for #OceanEye as a critical foundational element for the EU Ocean Pact
She also recommended that there is a review of what is already being achieved across a wide range of existing and valuable initiatives (such as the Mission Ocean and Waters and the Sustainable Blue Economy partnership, as well as the Horizon Europe, LIFE and Interreg programmes) to ensure that the Ocean pact can take a strategic overview and approach
We look forward to continuing our engagement in this important forum and working alongside our fellow members and Commission colleagues to deliver a successful Ocean Pact.
You can find out more about the Board here: https://oceans-and-fisheries.ec.europa.eu/news/european-ocean-board-convenes-first-meeting-shape-future-eu-ocean-policy-2026-03-30_en