Horizon Europe - EU Mission - Restore our Ocean and Waters

Supporting the implementation of the Restore our Ocean and Waters Mission The Mission ‘Restore our ocean and waters by 2030’ provides a systemic approach to restore, protect and preserve the health of our ocean, seas and waters. The Mission is designed to deliver on the European Union’s 2030 quantified and measurable targets for protecting and restoring ecosystems and biodiversity, for achieving zero pollution, and for decarbonising and reducing net greenhouse gas emissions from the blue economy towards climate-neutrality, within the EU’s seas and waters. The actions to be financed under this Work Programme support the implementation of the European Ocean Pact181 and the European Water Resilience Strategy182, as well as the Nature Restoration Regulation183, the Common Fisheries Policy184 and the EU marine action plan185 , contributing to the restoration of ocean and waters ecosystems for people, the climate and the planet. The actions to be financed under this Work Programme will address the three specific objectives of the Mission and their related 2030 targets outlined in the implementation plan of the Mission “Restore our Ocean and waters by 2030" 17: • Protecting 30% including 10% strictly protected of the EU’s sea area and restoring degraded marine ecosystems and biodiversity and 25.000 km of free-flowing rivers (in line with EU Biodiversity Strategy 2030 and the Nature Restoration Regulation); • Preventing and eliminating pollution at sea by reducing plastic litter by 50%, the release of microplastics into the environment by 30%, nutrient losses and use of chemical pesticides by 50% (in line with the EU Action Plan Towards Zero Pollution for Air, Water and Soil); and • Making the blue economy climate-neutral and circular with net-zero maritime and aquaculture emissions (in line with the European Climate Law and the Sustainable Blue Economy Strategy). They will also contribute to both cross-cutting enablers that support these objectives, by enhancing the digital ocean and water knowledge system, through the development of the Digital Twin Ocean (DTO)as well as broad public mobilisation and engagement in the codesign and co-delivery of the solutions. The actions will contribute to transitions of the European Green Deal in an inclusive way, ensuring the uptake of innovative solutions and supporting their further replication and deployment. Activities proposed will provide the necessary knowledge and solutions for restoring seas, coasts and rivers across the EU and will specifically support national, regional and local authorities as well as local communities, especially those dependent on healthy seas, oceans and inland waters (e.g., coastal communities, islands, waterfront cities, coastal regions, river catchments, fishing and maritime stakeholders). As mentioned in the Implementation Plan of the Mission [ref IP section 2.1.1], in the second ‘deployment and upscaling’ phase (2026-2030), the solutions already developed and piloted to deliver on the Mission and Green Deal objectives will be further replicated and scaled up. This will enable broad participation in the Mission across the EU. These scale-up actions will bring new innovations (either developed in the first phase of the Mission or outside) to the local contexts and adapt solutions so they can be replicated in new areas. The Mission Work Programme 2026-27 will also contribute to accelerate the innovation cycle of ocean and water technologies and leverage investments from other EU programmes (including ERDF, EMFAF, LIFE, EIB e.g. through BlueInvest and a second edition of Blue Champions), national and sub-national programmes and philanthropy. Synergies will be sought also with the new EIT Knowledge and Innovation Community on Water, Marine and Maritime Sectors and Ecosystems186, to be launched at the end of 2025. The regional and local deployment of the Mission, its demonstration sites and the Associated Regions scheme as well as further co-operation and synergies with regional and local authorities will be key to reach the 2030 goals. The Mission supports many Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), in particular SDG 14 - Life below water and SDG 6 - Clean water and sanitation, as well as to SDG13 - Climate action. The Mission also contributes to the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development by fostering research and cooperation across European sea basins, including the EU Outermost Regions and beyond, and mobilise scientists, as well as citizens for a sustainable and healthy ocean, seas and waters.