On World Oceans Day, it is fitting to reflect on one of the most significant steps the European Union has taken to strengthen its commitment to ocean knowledge: the launch of OceanEye, the EU's strategic initiative for global ocean observation leadership by 2035.
OceanEye was announced by President von der Leyen as an essential element of the European Ocean Pact and presented at the 2026 European Ocean Days in March 2026. The initiative, developed jointly by DG MARE and DG RTD, sets an ambitious agenda: to position the EU as the world's leading provider of ocean intelligence, covering over a third of the world's ocean data, and to secure a significant share of the global ocean tech market.
The ambition, however, goes beyond data and technology. As Zoi Konstantinou (DG MARE) explained at the Blue-Cloud 2026 Final Conference on 28 May 2026 in Brussels, "OceanEye is not a finished product but a starting point. Publishing the initiative is only the beginning; the actual work starts after".
From infrastructure to intelligence: what OceanEye brings together
OceanEye is designed to address the full value chain of ocean knowledge: from observation to data management, to digital applications and use. It builds on three pillars of existing EU marine data infrastructure.
The Copernicus Marine Service, operated by Mercator Ocean International on behalf of the European Commission, provides a world-leading reference information service on the world ocean and EU regional seas. Its capacity spans multi-year reanalyses (10 to 45 years), near-real-time monitoring (daily, hourly), and short-range ocean forecasts (2 to 10 days), covering essential marine variables across physics, sea ice, and biogeochemistry. All products are available with open and free access.
EMODnet (European Marine Observation and Data Network), the European Commission's in situ marine data service, aggregates observations across seven thematic domains: bathymetry, biology, chemistry, geology, human activities, physics, and seabed habitats. Data are harmonised to FAIR principles (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable) in line with standards such as INSPIRE and ISO, and made available pan-European scale.
The European Digital Twin Ocean (EDITO), the core infrastructure platform built through Horizon Europe projects EDITO-Infra and EDITO Model Lab (2022-2025) and now continued under EDITO 2 (2025-2028), provides a virtual, real-time model of the ocean that combines observational data with AI-driven forecasting. EDITO is implemented by Mercator Ocean International and the Flanders Marine Institute, with the support of Seascape Belgium on behalf of the EMODnet Secretariat.
Stronger together: EOSC Node | European Digital Twin Ocean in support of EDITO
Under OceanEye, the new EOSC Node | European Digital Twin Ocean will support the EDITO programme and its implementing facilities — a concrete example, as Konstantinou noted at the Final Conference, of how EU research projects can support and feed into Europe's permanent platforms.
Building efficient European frameworks for ocean observation requires more than technical integration: it requires inclusive governance, active participation from all stakeholders, and a willingness to slow down where needed in order to avoid fragmentation and overlap.
The path forward involves identifying ambassadors for the OceanEye vision among the entities that govern the system, consolidating positioning across the European ocean observation landscape, and coordinating through clearly mandated processes. As the presentation put it: if you want to go fast, go alone; if you want to go far, go together.
With OceanEye now formally launched, and with the EOSC Node | European Digital Twin Ocean to be integrated into EDITO, the pieces of Europe's ocean knowledge infrastructure are coming together. On World Oceans Day 2026, that is cause for both celebration and renewed commitment.
Learn more about OceanEye on the European Commission website. Slides from the Blue-Cloud 2026 Final Conference, including the presentation by Zoi Konstantinou, are available on the event page.
