The ocean is a source of life for human beings. It gives us food, oxygen and energy. It is home to many species and acts as climate regulator. Understanding how we influence the ocean and how the ocean influences us is at the core of ocean literacy. This understanding allows us to make responsible choices to better protect our ocean and to use the opportunities it offers in a sustainable manner. This is what we are striving for in Europe, contributing to the improvement of the well-being of Europeans, as envisioned and recently confirmed in the European Green Deal.

The European Ocean Coalition (EU4Ocean) connects diverse organisations, projects and people that contribute to ocean literacy and the sustainable management of the ocean. Supported by the European Commission, this bottom-up inclusive initiative aims at uniting the voices of Europeans to make the ocean a concern of everyone!

This coalition will:

• Contribute to enhancing awareness and the engagement of all parties involved in the sustainable management of our ocean and seas;
• Help coalition members to become ocean advocates in their own field/role/region as well as agents of transition supporting changes in perception, values, attitudes and behaviour towards more sustainable practices, management of the ocean and blue economy opportunities;
• Put ocean literacy high on the policy agenda, contributing inter alias to the implementation of the EU marine and maritime policies and the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the Agenda 2030, in particular the SDG 14 Life below water.

The EU4Ocean coalition combines EU-wide activities with actions dedicated to the Arctic Ocean, the Atlantic Ocean (including the North Sea), the Baltic Sea, the Black Sea, the Mediterranean Sea and the global ocean.

The coalition is made up of three components: a Platform for organisations and individuals engaged in Ocean Literacy initiatives, a European Youth Forum for the Ocean and a Network of European Blue Schools.

EurOcean is part of the consortium chosen by DG MARE for implementing EU4Ocean. It is lead by ACTeon (France) and includes Seascape Belgium (Secretariat of the European Marine Observation and Data Network (EMODnet) and the European Atlas of the Seas (EAS), the European Marine Board (EMB), Nausicaá-National Sea Centre (France; EurOcean Member), the World Ocean Network (WON), Ciência Viva (Portugal), the European Marine Science Educators Association (EMSEA), Ecologic Institute (Germany), S.Pro (Secretariat of Submariner Network; EurOcean Member), MARE Nostrum (Romania), European Schoolnet, and Farah Yasmin Obaidullah (The Netherlands, freelance campaigner, founder & director of Women4Oceans).

EurOcean’s role is to support the communication activities of the project and to enhance connections across Europe through its network. EurOcean is also one of the EU4Ocean Platform funding members.