ABSTRACT

The marine environment is a major source of economic growth that should be harnessed. With 70,000 km of coastline, the world\’s largest Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) and 22 EU member states out of 27 with at least one maritime border, the EU will, and will continue to play an essential role in marine and maritime activities. The maritime economy accounts for 5% of European economic activity and the EU\’s maritime regions account for almost 40% of its GDP (Gross Domestic Product). Oceans and seas also play a key role in climate change that has huge consequence on EU growth.

The marine environment thus represents a vast reserve of still unexplored natural resources and offers possibilities that can be considered essential towards supporting European economic development. As a research arena, the ocean is costly to access requiring various complementing research vessels and related mobile equipment. Because of the increasing complexity of societal demands and the profound influence on our daily lives, marine research and technology should be addressed in a consistent, holistic and coherent way.