European Ocean Days 2026 – The European Ocean Pact: Sustaining the ocean that sustains us

In the first week of March, EFFOP participated in the European Ocean Days 2026 in Brussels, organised by the European Commission. The event brought together policymakers, researchers, industry representatives and civil society to discuss the future of Europe’s ocean policy and the development of a sustainable and competitive blue economy.

The week-long event featured several high-level speakers, including Commissioner Costas Kadis, DG MARE Director-General Charlina Vitcheva, MEP and PECH Committee member, Thomas Bajada (S&D/MT).

A central theme throughout the conference was the upcoming European Ocean Pact, which is supposed to create a framework to better align the many EU policies connected to the ocean by strengthening coordination between existing policies related to the environment, maritime industries, food systems and research.

For EFFOP, this is particularly relevant as the marine ingredients sector forms an important part of the broader blue value chain supporting global aquaculture and food production. Therefore EFFOP has actively engaged in the policy discussions leading up to the Ocean Pact through several consultations, including contributions to the Ocean Act, the Ocean Observation Initiative, and most recently the revision of the Marine Strategy Framework Directive. These consultations are important opportunities for EFFOP to ensure that EU ocean policy recognises the full marine value chain and the role of marine ingredients.

Several sessions during the conference also focused on the future Vision 2040 for Fisheries and Aquaculture, and the broader competitiveness of the European blue economy. Policymakers and industry representatives stressed the need to strengthen investment, innovation and cooperation between Member States in order to maintain Europe’s leadership in sustainable fisheries and aquaculture. At the same time, speakers highlighted the importance of simplifying regulatory frameworks and improving the link between research, industry and policymaking. Another key discussion point was the importance of marine knowledge and ocean observation. Participants emphasised that better and more coordinated ocean data will be essential for effective policymaking, environmental protection and sustainable economic activities at sea.

On March 2, President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, called for an International Alliance to reinforce and expand ocean monitoring and observation, supporting OceanEye (the European Ocean observation initiative), as part of establishing a fully operational European Ocean Observation System by 2030. The EU plans to contribute €50 million from the Horizon Europe programme for 2026–2027 to support the alliance. In addition, the Commission used the week to announce upcoming industrial maritime and port strategies, aimed at strengthening the competitiveness and resilience of Europe’s maritime sector.

During the week, EFFOP also attended a side event organised by EBCD and Green Alliance EU-Norway titled “Aquatic Foods: Bridging EU Health, Ocean and Environmental Policies.” The event focused on strengthening the link between aquatic foods, public health and ocean sustainability. Among the speakers were Norway’s Minister of Fisheries and Ocean Policy, Marianne Sivertsen Næss, and MEP Paulo do Nascimento Cabral (EPP/PT)