EMODnet was well-represented at European Ocean Days 2025 a high-level, week-long event from 3-7 March 2025 in Brussels that brought together stakeholders from across Europe’s Ocean community. Marine Knowledge was a central theme to the multiple events covering ocean literacy, Mission: Restore our Ocean and Waters, sustainable fisheries, the blue economy, and more. And EMODnet was visible as a key EU asset for marine knowledge at the session “Marine Knowledge for the Ocean Pact”, which included interventions by EC DG MARE and EMODnet Chemistry Coordinator OGS. EMODnet’s key role as the in situ component to the European Digital Twin Ocean was also highlighted.
European Ocean Days 2025 brought together policymakers, scientists, youth, regional authorities, industry representatives, and civil society to focus on Europe's marine priorities. Each day spotlighted a different theme, ranging from stakeholder dialogues and innovation to science-policy collaboration and community engagement.
EMODnet featured prominently across multiple sessions, reaffirming its foundational role in Europe’s marine data infrastructure and its continued commitment to accessible, interoperable marine knowledge in support of ocean sustainability.
The week began with Young Voices for the Ocean, a platform for emerging ocean professionals and students to present their ideas, research, and visions for the future. EMODnet supported this session and engaged participants through the European Atlas of the Seas, coordinated by the EMODnet Secretariat. The Atlas offered an interactive experience, enabling attendees to explore marine data in an accessible, visual format—an important tool for education, outreach, and fostering ocean literacy.
On Day 2, during the Mission: Restore our Ocean and Waters Forum, EMODnet joined forces with the Copernicus Marine Service to present the progress and potential of the European Digital Twin Ocean (EUDTO). Their joint contribution illustrated how integrated EU marine data services support scenario modelling, forecasting, and innovation for the protection and restoration of aquatic ecosystems—an essential component of the EU Mission Ocean and Waters. EMODnet is a signatory to the Mission Ocean Charter and is a long-standing contributor of marine knowledge required for all Mission Ocean objectives and to the cross-cutting digital ocean and water knowledge system, known as Digital Twin Ocean.
Later in the week, EMODnet thematic experts participated to the Fisheries and Ocean Dialogues, actively supporting the co-design of the European Ocean Pact, following the submission of EMODnet’s response to the European Ocean Pact call for evidence. Their data-driven insights—spanning disciplines such as bathymetry, chemistry, biology, and human activities—help inform ongoing efforts to develop a coherent, science-based framework for sustainable fisheries and ocean governance across EU waters. This high-level session firmly positioned EMODnet as a cornerstone of Europe’s marine knowledge ecosystem. Speakers described marine data as the “invisible pillar of marine knowledge” and acknowledged EMODnet as a trusted, global community delivering harmonised, high-quality marine data across multiple domains. EMODnet’s role in supporting open, FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable) data practices was emphasised, along with the importance of EU-funded projects contributing their data to EMODnet to ensure maximum impact and reusability across policy, research, and industry.
The session also spotlighted the ongoing development of the EU Digital Twin Ocean, driven by Copernicus Marine Service and EMODnet, which includes a common Data Lake of data collections from both EC marine data services. By providing the essential data infrastructure for this next-generation initiative, both services enable dynamic simulation and visualisation of ocean systems to inform smarter, more inclusive marine policy and innovation.