Marine and ocean observation: NODC in the new EU expert group

The Italian Ministry of University and Research has selected Alessandra Giorgetti, Head of the National Oceanographic Data Centre of the OGS, for the EU Member States' Expert Group on Ocean Observationdue to her long and extensive experience in the field of marine data management.

Since this year, the European Commission has been working on developing a common European Union approach to planning observation activities of the seas and oceans. The aim is to collect data once and use it for different purposes. To this end, an expert group has been set up to advise the Commission. The experts act as a point of contact for all government agencies in the EU countries involved in marine observation.

Thirty-two experts from 17 countries took part in the first hybrid meeting of the Marine Observation Group, which was held in Brussels on 25 June. The European Commission presented the results of a public consultation which highlighted the obstacles to effective monitoring. These include fragmented and opaque planning, inadequate allocation of responsibilities and resources, slow innovation, uncertain funding, uneven distribution of effort and a lack of standardised working procedures. Furthermore, everyone agrees that the EU needs to take action to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of marine observation, starting with the development of a common digital platform. The next meeting is scheduled for December this year.