In May 2026, over 300 participants across Europe and beyond gathered in Ayia Napa, Cyprus, for the conference Riding the Wave: Advancing the EU Ocean Pact through Science, Innovation and Cooperation. Kate Larkin, Head of the EMODnet Secretariat, contributed to the session “From Ocean Knowledge to Policy Impact: Implementing the EU Ocean Pact through Science, Data and Innovation”.
The conclusions of the conference have now been published. The publication presents 10 flagship recommendations and seven supporting recommendations developed following the conference discussions and outcomes, with the aim of contributing to the ongoing implementation of the European Ocean Pact and related European initiatives.
Two of the 10 flagship recommendations directly address the importance of marine data and marine digital infrastructure:
Accelerate Europe’s Marine Digital Infrastructure and Digital Twin Ocean;
Treat Ocean Science, Ocean Data and Intelligence as Critical Infrastructure for Governance, Security and Resilience.
The publication can be downloaded from Zenodo.
