Green Paper – Marine knowledge 2020: from seabed mapping to ocean forecasting

The oceans and seas that surround Europe offer new opportunities to meet the Europe 2020 goals. To realise this potential, we need to make it easier for companies to invest. We need to lower costs, reduce risks and stimulate innovation. And we need to ensure that this expansion of the blue economy is sustainable. The resources are large but not infinite. To ensure that the expansion of the blue economy happens, that it is sustainable and that Europe's seas will achieve good environmental status we need to know what the state of the sea is now, how it was in the past and how it might change in the future. The Commission aims to work together with Member States to bring together available resources and mechanisms to deliver that knowledge for the benefit of industry, public authorities, researchers and society.

• Primary Source

EUR-Lex: COM(2012)473: Follow the progress of this document through the decision-making procedure http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/HIS/?uri=COM:2012:473:FIN

European Commission: SWD(2012)250: Interim Evaluation of the European Marine Observation and Data Network http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=SWD:2012:0250:FIN:EN:PDF

---