This week has been a very busy week for the ocean and nature!
The 2nd European Maritime Spatial Planning (MSP) Week took place in Brussels (Belgium) on 1-5 June 2026, bringing together key European Union MSP-related projects and expert groups to foster exchange, build synergies, and accelerate progress on Maritime Spatial Planning across Europe and beyond. The European Atlas of the Seas team was there on 2-3 June 2026 with the European Marine Observation and Data Network (EMODnet) and presented the Atlas at the European EMODnet booth. This was an interesting opportunity to speak with MSP experts as well as participants involved in education and to showcase the Atlas Ocean Sports Game. On 2 June, EMODnet organised a workshop on the fit-for-use of its data services for the MSP community in the framework of the Northern European Sea Basins project. The Atlas team demonstrated use of the Atlas during the MSP World Café organised during the EU4Ocean workshop on 3 June, highlighting how the Atlas can be used to increase ocean literacy across Europe.
The Next BlueGeneration Final Conference on 2 June 2026 in Brussels brought together key stakeholders, industry leaders, educators and policymakers to discuss skills, jobs and the future of the blue economy.
On 3 June 2026, the European Commission presented the OceanEye initiative to expand the European Union’s role in ocean observation. Ocean observation is critical for ocean protection and restoration, climate forecasting, blue economy activities such as fisheries and aquaculture, offshore energy, and shipping, as well as maritime security and defence. [1]
The EU Green Week 2026 took place on 3-4 June 2026 in Brussels. The 26th edition of the EU Green Week put the spotlight on the business case for nature, demonstrating that a nature-positive economy is essential for Europe’s prosperity, resilience, and competitiveness.
On 5 June, people around the world will celebrate World Environment Day with a Global Call for Climate Action.
Very busy indeed!
Speaking about ocean observation, did you know that the European Atlas of the Seas’ catalogue includes maps layers on oceanographic instruments and a map layer on marine installations?
The data on the map layers on oceanographic instruments are provided by EMODnet. Explore the Map of the Week to learn about drifting buoys! Drifting buoys are free-drifting and move depending on the water currents and host sensors. Autonomous measuring systems on buoys allow measurement of standard oceanographic parameters (temperature, salinity, currents) and, in some cases, other parameters (e.g. turbidity, oxygen and chlorophyll fluorescence). These observations are relayed by satellite, used immediately to improve forecasts and increase marine safety and are made available through open marine data initiatives like EMODnet. You can access Platform data directly from the EMODnet Map viewer. To do this, click on ‘catalogue’, select ‘EMODnet Physics’, click on ‘Platform data’ and select ‘Platform. This data product integrates data from major marine and oceanographic initiatives and data repositories.
The data on the map layer on marine installations shows Europe’s extensive network of marine research infrastructure based on the Marine Research Infrastructures database from EurOcean. This includes a wide range of facilities including research vessels and embarkable equipment, on-land and offshore research and test facilities in the physical, biological and chemical domain as well as numerous remote and in-situ observation facilities. By Clicking on the map, you can see the key characteristics for each facility, including links and contacts to access further details provided by the operators of these facilities.
Get ready for another busy week next week as people across the world celebrate World Ocean Day on 8 June! “Reimagine”, the theme of World Oceans Day 2026, invites us to change the way we see and care for the ocean!
Wish to know more about ocean observation?
Read the Factsheet: Ocean Observation at a glance and the Factsheet: Making the EU the leader in ocean observation;
Find out about Ocean Decade Actions dedicated to ocean observations;
Learn about the work of EuroGOOS, the European component of the Global Ocean Observing System (GOOS) of UNESCO.
Wish to know more about maritime spatial planning and EMODnet?
Dive into the European MSP Platform to learn more about maritime spatial planning;
Discover the European Union Member States’ National Maritime Spatial Plans with the EMODnet Map viewer. To do this, click on ‘catalogue’, select ‘EMODnet Human Activities’ and click on ‘Maritime Spatial Planning’;
Watch the EMODnet video titled ‘EMODnet for the European Ocean Pact’;
Wish to engage in ocean and water activities?
Play the Atlas’ Ocean Sports Game to learn more about the ocean, coastal and water sports, marine biodiversity and citizen science;
Explore World Ocean Day upcoming events around the world!
If you are between 16 and 30 years old, join the Youth4Ocean Forum, a community for young people shaping the future of the ocean;
If you are working on water efficiency and water resilience, take part in the European Commission’s call for evidence ‘Water sector – accelerating digitalisation for better management and sustainability’.
Stay tuned to the Atlas Map of the Week published on the Maritime Forum and the EMODnet portal!
The data in the map is provided by EMODnet.
The European Atlas of the Seas is powered by the European Marine Observation and Data Network (EMODnet). Don’t miss the latest news, register for the monthly EMODnet News Digest.
[1] https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/ip_26_1232