As populations worldwide are struggling out of the COVID crisis, the coast and the open sea never looked so appealing to individuals and their families as a free breathing space. But this crisis should not let us forget that the ocean is under unprecedented pressure from the cumulative effects of the climate crisis, biodiversity loss and further degradation from human activities. The sustainable development of marine planning in Europe requires partnerships and collaborations that cross sectors, disciplines and scales in (...) Read more.

On Monday 8 June - World Ocean Day - the Virtual Ocean Literacy Summit will be livestreamed between 11:00 and 14:00. The Summit brings together the EU, IOC-UNESCO and other international partners to discuss the role of ocean literacy (OL) in transforming knowledge into action, in the context of the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development. During the summit, Virginijus Sinkevičius, European Commissioner for Environment, Oceans and Fisheries, will announce the creation of the "EU4Ocean” coalition. The EU4Ocean (...) Read more.

The 18th Meeting of the MSEG on MSP took place on Wednesday 13th May 2020. Due to the unprecedented circumstances at present, the meeting was held online. Updates were provided by all 20 of the Member States represented at the MSEG Meeting regarding the status of their MSP plans and the latest developments at the national level. In several cases, the national consultation process has been impacted by the ongoing COVID-19 crisis. The Commission (DG MARE) and EASME informed participants (...) Read more.