OCEAN MONITORING
and FORECASTING
Providing Products and Services for all marine applications.
Focus on
December 2010
The NICOSIA DECLARATION: A major agreement for the future European Ocean Monitoring Service
October 2012
On 10th October 2012, in the Cyprus Oceanography Centre of Cyprus University, under the auspices of the Cyprus presidency of the European Union, a long‐term Strategic Partnership agreement was worked out by the MyOcean2 board and the National Agencies & Institutes of Member States, members of EuroGOOS.
Prefigurating the future "European Centre for Ocean Monitoring and Forecasting” (ECOMF), MyOcean project is already delivering state-of-the-art ocean observations and forecasts to hundreds of users.
These continuous and reliable data are used by European decision makers for sustaining the European policy for Blue economic growth and corresponding policies (1) , by international conventions acting for protecting regional seas (2) and also by Member State agencies and institutes devoted to fighting pollution, protecting the coastal environment, assessing water quality, ensuring maritime safety and doing research on the climate.
These National bodies, which are members of EuroGOOS regional alliances (confer to "Focus On" January 2012 ), have national mandates; they contribute to scientific research and also the development of innovative marine applications. They themselves provide operational oceanography services based on MyOcean products for national and regional interests. There are innumerable points of convergence between the future GMES Marine Service and the National Agencies.
Consequently, the Declaration of Nicosia worked out on the 10th of October lays the foundations for an ECOMF Strategic Partnership between the European GMES Marine service providers (currently embodied in MyOcean), EuroGOOS (3) and Member State institutions. It will enrich current cooperation by:
- Enabling economies of scale and avoiding duplication between the European and national levels;
- Providing support for evolution of the GMES Marine Service and national public service products.
- Reinforcing bilateral/multilateral cooperation
(1) The EU Integrated Maritime Policy and its Marine Strategy, the Common Fishery Policy, the European Research policy
(2) OSPAR Convention, the HELCOM (Helsinki Commission), the Barcelona Convention, REMPEC, UNEP/MAP (Mediterranean Action Plan of the United Nations Environment Programme), Arctic Council and Black Sea Commission
(3): EuroGOOS, the European Association of National governmental agencies and research organisations committed to European-scale operational oceanography.