Progress report for
Supporting the EU4Ocean Coalition
Achievement at a glance
The EU4Ocean coalition was established to connect diverse organisations, projects, and people that contribute to the ocean literacy movement and the sustainable management of the ocean.It enhances ocean awareness, creating ocean advocates, and impacting policy. In four years, the coalition has grown to over 1,000 registered members across its three main communities:
- The EU4Ocean platform, a hub for organisations, businesses, and professionals, stimulating collaboration, exchanges of practices and dialogue for new alliances and
activities. Today the platform brings together 182 entities – NGOs, academia and research institutes, aquaria, media, networks, industry, and public authorities – from 23 Member States and 8 non-EU countries.
- The Youth4Ocean Forum, which builds the capacity and skills of young people interested in ocean matters and empowers them to use their voice to influence decision-making and policy. Its mentorship programme for Young Ocean Advocates also offers support to forum members carrying out specific ocean projects in the EU. The forum now gathers 466 young people from 36 nationalities.
- The Network of European Blue Schools, supporting EU teachers in integrating ocean-related issues into the classroom. Currently, the network connects 514 schools (from primary to senior high schools) from 23 Member States, primarily located around the Mediterranean and Black Sea. This EU network has been recognised as a best-case example and has inspired the establishment of a global blue school network.
After a successful founding phase (2020-2022), the expansion stage of the coalition started in January 2023. The current service contract will run until December 2025.
Next Steps
Benedicte CaremierBeneficiaries
School students, young people, citizens, and organisations (ranging from academia and NGOs to media and industry) involved or interested in ocean matters in the EU.
Actions
The EU4Ocean coalition has raised public awareness about the ocean, encouraged sustainable practices, and fostered a deeper connection between EU citizens and the ocean. It has developed tailored resources and achieved significant results in four key areas, providing valuable benefitsto members and society:
- Share and learn: The coalition fosters collaboration, knowledge sharing, and co-creation of resources among members, including summer schools for young people, webinar series, podcasts, and networking events at local, regional, and EU levels.
- Get support: The coalition helps members turn ideas into tangible projects through annual project calls, media workshops, training sessions for schoolteachers, and the Young Ocean Advocates mentorship programme.
- Gain visibility: Members can participate in high-visibility events organised by EU4Ocean, such as the annual MakeEUBlue awards, and other events where EU4Ocean participates.
They also benefit from its strong digital presence and targeted communication campaigns aimed at educating society, including articles in popular magazines and an episode featured on Euronews' OCEAN Season 4.
- Elevate ocean literacy in policy agendas: The coalition works with local and regional authorities to integrate blue education in school curricula, promotes ocean-related corporate social responsibility, and engages with policymakers to drive ocean literacy forward.