What is the Mission?

With a 2030 target, the EU Mission “Restore our Ocean and Waters” aims to protect and restore the health of our ocean and waters through research and innovation, citizen engagement and blue investments. The Mission’s new, systemic approach addresses the ocean and waters as one and play a key role in achieving climate neutrality and restoring nature.The Mission supports regional engagement and cooperation through so-called area-based “lighthouses”. Mission lighthouses are research and innovation project portfolios, hubs for the development, demonstration and deployment of new solutions in major sea/river basins. In the first phase, there are four Mission lighthouses at basin scale in the Atlantic-Arctic, the Mediterranean Sea, the Baltic and North Sea, and the Danube river basin. 

Mission Charter

The Mission Charter calls for joining efforts, and publicly demonstrating them, to achieve the three objectives of the Mission Restore our Ocean and Waters by 2030 to:

1. Protect and restore marine and freshwater ecosystems and biodiversity, in line with the EU Biodiversity Strategy 2030;
2. Prevent and eliminate pollution of our ocean, seas and waters, in line with the EU Action Plan Towards Zero Pollution for Air, Water and Soil;
3. Make the sustainable blue economy carbon-neutral and circular, in line with the proposed European Climate Law and the holistic vision enshrined in the Sustainable Blue Economy Strategy.

To reach these objectives the Mission is also putting in place two enablers:

Digital Ocean and Water Knowledge System;  

Public mobilization and engagement. 

How to join the Mission Charter?

You may adhere to this Charter (non-binding and open to any public or private interested parties) by submitting relevant actions, programmes or projects, already ongoing or started or about to start,  through a dedicated online platform.
Submitted actions will be assessed every month by the European Commission for their coherence with the Mission objectives.

All Mission Ocean and Waters actions are made publicly available on the EC website.

By adhering to the Charter, you will be able to access services and tools the Mission Ocean and Waters will deploy, best practices from previous projects as well as tools to empower citizens to take action.

You will become part of the Mission community and be involved in major Mission fora and events, allowing you to network with other participating communities.