Vigo, 16th of June 2023. Next October, Galicia will become the epicentre of the European debate on the restoration of the oceans and the future of marine science by hosting the EurOCEAN 2023 Conference; a forum that will bring together the European scientific community in the city of Vigo, policy makers from the European Union and Member States, the maritime industry and other marine stakeholders.

EurOCEAN 2023 will take place on October 10th and 11th at the Mar de Vigo auditorium, as a space for exchange and debate on the latest advances and future challenges in marine research and the sustainable use of the ocean. The motto of the Conference "One Ocean, One Voice" will seek to agree on the key messages for the international scientific community about the need to restore and safeguard for future generations, the good state of the ocean and the sustainability of the services provided by marine ecosystems by promoting scientific research and relevant knowledge.

The EuroOCEAN Conference is the main European meeting forum on marine science policy. It offers a unique opportunity for the marine research community and all stakeholders to interact with the European policy makers and strategists to consider, discuss and respond to new developments, challenges and opportunities in marine science and technology. This tenth edition of the event makes part of the Agenda of the Spanish Presidency of the EU. It constitutes a strategic event with a view to reinforcing synergies between the European Union Mission “Restore our Ocean & Waters by 2030”, the United Nations Decade of Ocean Sciences for Sustainable Development and other international and European initiatives of research and innovation. Previous editions of EurOCEAN took place in Brussels (1993), Sorrento (1995), Lisbon (1998), Hamburg (2000), Galway (2004), Aberdeen (2007), Ostend (2010), Rome (2014) and Paris (2019).

The Conference will stress the importance of joining efforts towards collective action and marine science that guarantee compliance with the UN Sustainable Development Goals by 2030 and the EU Mission “Restore our Ocean & Waters by 2030”. All this through an extensive program to be announced shortly on the EurOcean2023 website, where registration for participants is already available .

The Early Career Ocean Professionals (ECOP)Network Forum and other events linked to EurOCEAN

Two days before the EurOCEAN 2023 meeting, on its own initiative, the European Marine Board (EMB) through its Young Ambassadors Program, organizes a working forum for the Early Career Ocean Professionals (ECOP) in Santiago de Compostela to gather, 70 of these young professionals _two from each EMB member organization_ at the Cidade da Cultura, on October 8th and 9th. This forum will transfer conclusions to the following Conference, thus becoming a space for training and intergenerational dialogue between the EMB ECOPs and European political leaders, experts and high-level representatives of the scientific community.

The closing event of the week will be the Autumn meeting of the European Marine Board, which will take place on October 12th and 13th at the headquarters of the Centro Tecnológico del Mar-Fundación CETMAR in Vigo.

Organizers

The European Marine Board organizes this Conference in collaboration with the Centro Tecnológico del Mar-Fundación CETMAR, the Spanish Institute of Oceanography (IEO-CSIC) and the Marine Research Institute of the CSIC (IIM-CSIC), the Centre for Marine Research of the University of Vigo (CIM-), the Campus do Mar and the European Commission. The organization has also involved the Joint Programming Initiative on Oceans (JPI Oceans), the European Marine Research Network (EuroMarine), the European component of the Global Ocean Observing System (EuroGOOS), the European Centre of Information on Marine Science and Technology (EurOcean) and the European Fisheries Control Agency (EFCA). At local level, CETMAR’s Governing Board represented by the Consellería do Mar of the Xunta de Galicia, the Vigo City Council, the Port of Vigo, the industry associations CONXEMAR and ANFACO have also expressed their support to the Conference.

 

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