Updates from the Mission Ocean and Waters Communication Collaborative – May 6, 2026

• May 14, 2026

PHAROS actively participates in the Mission Ocean and Waters Communication Collaborative as part of its mandate to build strategic links with other EU Missions, European Blue Parks, Mission lighthouses, and related initiatives. The Collaborative brings together communications representatives from partner projects, CSAs, the Mission Implementation Platform, and European Commission leaders for monthly coordination meetings where participants share project updates and align messaging. The following updates reflect activities and developments shared by participating members during the May 2026 meeting cycle.

1. European Maritime Day 2026, Limassol, 21-22 May 2026

The European Maritime Day (EMD) is the main annual event for maritime affairs, drawing policymakers, industry representatives and project communities. The Mission Implementation Platform issued a final call for in-person attendance, inviting projects to take part in thematic meetings and deliver short presentations at the Mission Ocean and Waters booth.

Who: Presented by Coline MIP, coordinated by the European Commission together with the Shipping Deputy Ministry of the Republic of Cyprus and the Limassol Municipality.

Where: Carob Mill, Limassol, Cyprus.

When: 21-22 May 2026.

Why: To showcase Mission-related activities, strengthen collaboration across the ocean community and coordinate booth presentations.

More information: European Maritime Day participation form, EMD 2026 official site.

2. Ireland Living Lab Event – PHAROS Mega Event, Kerry & Cork, 26-28 May 2026

PHAROS organised its second Mega Event in South-West Ireland, launching two Living Labs that bring together government, researchers, innovators, educators, businesses, investors and local communities. The event included the MINKA Living Lab launch, “Waste to Worth” 3D printing demonstrations, fisher-led initiatives, a Blue Schools webinar, a STEM building tour, an art exhibition and a visit to Bantry Marine Research Station’s kelp farm.

Who: Presented by Roderick Van Roosmalen from Bantry Marine Research Station on behalf of the PHAROS project.

Where: Kerry and West Cork, Ireland.

When: 26-28 May 2026.

Why: To accelerate marine restoration, promote ocean literacy and strengthen the blue economy through collaborative innovation.

More information: PHAROS Ireland Mega Event page.

3. Mission Charter – How Projects Can Support the Mission

The Mission Charter invites Member States, regions, cities and stakeholders to pledge concrete actions supporting the Mission’s three core objectives: restoring biodiversity, eliminating pollution and achieving a sustainable carbon-neutral blue economy. More than 1,000 pledges have already been made.

Who: Presented by Adrienne Evans from the Mission Implementation Platform (MIP).

Where: Online presentation during the May 2026 collaborative meeting.

When: Discussed on 6 May 2026.

Why: To encourage more organisations to formally commit to the Mission’s objectives and scale up collective action.

More information: Mission Charter page.

4. EDITO (European Digital Twin Ocean) Call for Support – Deadline 11 May 2026

The EDITO platform (European Digital Twin Ocean) announced a call offering €600,000 in financial support for European, national, regional or local projects to onboard their existing applications, models or datasets onto the platform. Projects developing interoperable applications or models relevant to ocean and coastal challenges are strongly encouraged to apply.

Who: Presented by Iseult Gillespie from Seascape Belgium on behalf of EDITO.

Where: Online application via Mercator Ocean International portal.

When: Deadline 11 May 2026, 12:00 CEST.

Why: To contribute to the co-construction of the European Digital Twin Ocean and maximise the impact of research and innovation actions.

More information: Apply here, EDITO news page.

5. MPA Day 2026 – European Meeting, 12 May 2026

MPA Day 2026 is a global moment to celebrate and strengthen Marine Protected Areas. A European advocates’ meeting was organised to share the story behind MPA Day, exciting plans for 2026 and practical ways to get involved. The full MPA Day celebration takes place on 1 August 2026.

Who: Presented by Paul Trouth from PROTECT BALTIC.

Where: European meeting online.

When: European meeting on 12 May 2026, 13:00-14:00 CEST; MPA Day on 1 August 2026.

Why: To celebrate and strengthen Marine Protected Areas across Europe and the world, and to mobilise collective action for ocean conservation.

More information: MPA Day 2026 LinkedIn event.

6. SeaClear2.0 Policy Roundtable – Venice, 29 May 2026

SeaClear2.0 organised a policy roundtable as part of the 6th International Workshop on Marine Litter Monitoring, Removal and Blue Circular Economy. The roundtable focused on how European and national policies can support marine litter minimisation and the development of innovative technologies. A live system demonstration of SeaClear2.0 followed the roundtable.

Who: Presented by Demetra Orthodoxou on behalf of SeaClear2.0, co-organised with the REMEDIES project.

Where: Arsenale, Venice, Italy (within the Venice Boat Show).

When: 29 May 2026.

Why: To gather policy conclusions and recommendations from the SeaClear2.0 project’s analysis and to validate them through open dialogue with participants.

More information: LinkedIn programme post, In-person registration, Online registration.

7. BlueActionAA – Community Led Actions, Transition Agenda Calls and Evaluators

BlueActionAA opened two funding calls. The Community-led Pilot Action Call (BAAC-01) invites local and regional communities across the Atlantic and Arctic basins to lead restoration projects. The Transition Agenda Call (BAAT-01) supports the development of strategic roadmaps and policy recommendations. A call for external evaluators is also open.

Who: Presented by Alessandro Colombo from AIRC (WP7 C, D&E leader).

Where: Atlantic and Arctic basins.

When: Deadline 29 May 2026.

Why: To mobilise communities and authorities in restoring marine and freshwater ecosystems, and to develop governance mechanisms for blue transition processes.

More information: BAAC-01 call, BAAT-01 call, Call for External Evaluators, Informational webinar.

8. Joint Webinar – Marine Protected Areas in Action, 12 May 2026

 EFFECTIVE, MSP4BIO, OCEAN CITIZEN and BLUE4ALL came together for a joint webinar exploring tools, restoration strategies and governance approaches for healthier seas. The session focused on ecosystem restoration, MPA governance, stakeholder participation and maritime spatial planning.

Who: Presented by Vukasin Orsic (WP9 Lead and CDE Lead) on behalf of the four projects.

Where: Online.

When: 12 May 2026, 15:00-16:30 CEST.

Why: To share practical approaches for making Marine Protected Areas more effective and resilient.

More information: Webinar registration.

9. CO-WATERS – Coalition of Cities, Regions, Islands and Ports Launch, 8 June 2026

The Coalition of cities, regions, islands and ports for the Mission Ocean and Waters, implemented by the CO-WATERS project, held its online launch event. Services offered include networking and peer learning, capacity building, stakeholder engagement support, funding and implementation guidance, and a Mission label for participating territories.

Who: Presented by Clea Prieto Perosanz from LGI, CO-WATERS Comms lead.

Where: Online.

When: 8 June 2026, 14:00 CEST.

Why: To support waterfront authorities in driving cleaner, healthier and more resilient marine and freshwater systems under the EU Mission.

More information: Event registration, Coalition page.

10. Good Experiences from BlueActionBANOS

BlueActionBANOS shared experiences from community-led initiatives contributing to positive change across the Baltic and North Sea basins. The project offers funding, technical guidance and knowledge-sharing to help local stakeholders take effective action on ocean restoration, pollution reduction and circular blue economy.

Who: Presented by Laila Dam from Food & Bio Cluster Denmark (C, D&E leader).

Where: Online.

When: During the May 2026 meeting.

Why: To inspire prospective applicants and demonstrate what types of actions have proven impactful and scalable.

More information: BlueActionBANOS website.

11. TIDALArtS Updates – 20 Artists Funded in Mission Lighthouses

TIDALArtS has funded 20 artists to implement projects in the four Mission Ocean Lighthouses. The project shared progress updates and encouraged the community to follow their social media channels for regular updates on artistic interventions addressing water issues.

Who: Presented by Franny Klatt from SUBMARINER on behalf of TIDALArtS.

Where: Projects taking place in the four Mission Ocean Lighthouses; updates online.

When: Ongoing.

Why: To connect people with their oceans and waters through artistic expression, using art and science to address environmental challenges.

More information: TIDALArtS Instagram, TIDALArtS website.

12. SUNDANSE – International Mission aboard REXDAN Vessel, June 2026

SUNDANSE announced an international mission aboard the REXDAN vessel, the largest freshwater floating laboratory in Europe, serving as a bridge for transnational cooperation on the Danube River.

Who: Presented by Oriane Georges and Anja Stipankov Ivanovic as SUNDANSE communication and dissemination leads.

Where: On the Danube River, aboard the REXDAN vessel (based in Galați, Romania).

When: June 2026.

Why: To foster European cooperation and allow diverse projects to share data, tools and expertise.

More information: SUNDANSE project website.

13. TASC-RestoreMed – Call for Expert Evaluators (Deadline 12 May 2026)

TASC-RestoreMed, a flagship initiative under the EU Mission “Restore our Ocean and Waters by 2030”, reopened its Call for Independent Expert Evaluators. Specialists were invited to help select the most impactful Community-Led Actions (CLA) and Transition Agendas (TAD) driving the Mediterranean’s sustainable blue economy. The project specifically sought additional experts in marine and freshwater restoration technologies (TRL 6‑7+ scale-up), social innovation and community-led governance, environmental policy and municipal management, and impact investment and market exploitation.

Who: Presented by Oriane Georges from TASC-RestoreMed.

Where: Online application via F6S platform.

When: Deadline extended to 12 May 2026.

Why: To ensure a structured and transparent assessment of proposals addressing marine and freshwater restoration, social innovation, environmental policy and impact investment.

More information: Apply via F6S, TASC-RestoreMed website.

Upcoming Events

• PHAROS Plastic Fantastic Hackathon: Bootcamp – What: Online bootcamp preparing teams for the main hackathon. When: 11-13 May 2026, 17:00-19:30 CET. Project: PHAROS Project.
• MPA Day 2026 – European meeting – What: European advocates’ meeting to plan MPA Day celebrations. When: 12 May 2026, 13:00-14:00 CEST. Project: PROTECT BALTIC.
• PHAROS Plastic Fantastic Hackathon Days – What: Main online innovation challenge for marine litter solutions. When: 18-19 May 2026. Project: PHAROS Project.
• Blue Transition Policy – What: Policy day focusing on integrated water and soil management. When: 19 May 2026. Project: Interreg North Sea.
• European Maritime Day – What: Europe’s leading maritime policy and blue economy event. When: 21-22 May 2026.
• Blue Senses Booth at the EMD – What: Scavenger hunt activity at the Mission Ocean booth. When: 21-22 May 2026. Project: SHORE, BlueLightS.
• PHAROS MarCoLab Ireland Mega Event – What: Launch of Living Labs for marine restoration. When: 26-29 May 2026. Project: PHAROS Project.
• 6th International Workshop on Marine Litter Monitoring, Removal and Blue Circular Economy – What: Workshop on marine litter policies and technologies. When: 29 May 2026, Venice, Italy. Project: SeaClear2.0 & REMEDIES.
• EU Macro Regional & Sea Basin Strategies Days – What: High-level event gathering all eight EU macro-regional and sea basin strategies. When: 1 June to 2 July 2026.
• BioAgora Science-Policy Interface (SPI) Dialogue Workshop – What: Workshop supporting Member States in implementing Nature Restoration Regulation Action Plans. When: 2-3 June 2026, Bucharest, Romania. Project: Restore4life with BioAgora.
• “Posidonia oceanica Restoration” Workshop – What: Hybrid workshop on seagrass restoration techniques. When: 3 June 2026, 09:30 CEST. Project: SUNBIO.
• Accelerating the adoption and implementation of NBS to reduce soil and water pollution from agriculture – What: EU Green Week Partner Event on nature-based solutions for pollution. When: 8 June 2026, 14:00 CEST. Project: SEACURE Project.
• European Sustainable Energy Week (EUSEW) 2026 – What: Europe’s largest annual gathering on clean energy and renewables. When: 9-11 June 2026, 09:30-19:30.
• 15th International Seaweed Conference EU – What: Leading conference on seaweed for feed, food, offshore cultivation and biorefinery. When: 16-18 June 2026.

Past Events

• SHORE Webinar: Twinning & Best Practices for the Network of European Blue Schools – When: 26 March 2026, 17:00 CET. Project: SHORE, ProBleu, BlueLights.
• Hackathon Ideation Workshop – When: 15 April 2026, 17:00 CET. Project: PHAROS Project.

Next Communication Collaborative Meetings

• 3 June 2026 – Moderated by the REMEDIES project