International ocean governance
The communication on international ocean governance by the Commission and the EU's High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs set out 50 measures to achieve safe, secure, clean and sustainably managed oceans.
One of the 3 key pillars of the communication is dedicated to strengthening international ocean research and data.
The communication is an integral part of the EU's response to the United Nation's Sustainable Development Goals - specifically goal 14 explained below.
Our Ocean conference
The ‘Our Ocean Conference’ has been held since 2014 in response to widespread deterioration of the marine environment. The most recent events were held in Busan, Korea in 2025 and in Athens, Greece in 2024.
Building on commitments made at the previous Our Ocean Conferences, in 2025 the EU pledged over €300 million in ocean conservation efforts.
More information
Further Commission work in international ocean governance from the Oceans and Fisheries department and the EU's External Action Service
All-Atlantic Ocean Research and Innovation Alliance (AAORIA)
The All-Atlantic Ocean Research and Innovation Alliance is an ocean science diplomacy initiative uniting countries from around the Atlantic Ocean in contributing to the science needed to support ocean policy, governance and management on domestic, regional and international scales in the Atlantic region, from the Arctic to Antarctica.
AAORIA and its goals are underpinned by the All-Atlantic Declaration signed in 2022 in Washington DC by Argentina, Brazil, Cabo Verde, Canada, Morocco, South Africa, the United States of America and the European Union. Since 2022, Norway, the United Kingdom, Iceland, Senegal and Ghana have also joined the Alliance.
United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
The United Nations’ 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development has 17 Goals - all directly or indirectly relevant to ocean economy and food.
Goal 14 is 'Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources.'
The EU allocates additional funds to a number of research and innovation projects related to this goal, notably on the relationship between oceans and human health (€2 million), removal and re-use of marine litter (€26.5 million) and sea food safety (€7 million).
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United Nations Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development (2021-2030)
The United Nations designated the years 2021 to 2030 as the Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development to boost international coordination and cooperation in research and scientific programmes for better management of ocean and coastal zone resources and reducing maritime risks.
The UN Education, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) leads the campaign.
G7 Future of the Seas and Oceans initiative
The G7 Science and Technology Ministers’ Meeting in Tsukuba, Japan in May 2016 agreed to launch the G7 Future of Seas and Ocean Initiative, in what was known as the Tsukuba Communiqué.
The action areas for the initiative were revised in 2024 at the G7 Scientific and Technology Ministerial in Bologna, Italy.
The aim is to enhance global cooperation for ocean observing and sharing of data and information required for the health of our seas and Ocean, for weather and climate forecasting, and for the development of a sustainable Blue Economy.
- The EU works on several actions that contribute to the implementation of this, including: demonstrating the feasibility of the European component of a future Global Ocean Observing System
- promoting open science and the improvement of the global data sharing infrastructure
- making ocean observations and data management in European seas and the Atlantic Ocean fit for the future
- promoting increased G7 political‐cooperation by identifying additional actions needed to enhance future routine ocean observations
- advancing the the follow‐up of research on marine litter (including plastic litter) within the G7
Related links
Learn about research and innovation science diplomacy - what it is, what frameworks are being developed and events.