One Water Alliance at “Riding the Wave: Advancing the EU Ocean Pact through Science, Innovation and Cooperation”
On 11 May, the One Water Alliance was invited to participate in the Exhibition Area of “Riding the Wave: Advancing the EU Ocean Pact through Science, Innovation and Cooperation”, an official Conference of the Cyprus Presidency of the Council of the EU 2026. The event brought together European institutions, researchers, innovators and key stakeholders committed to advancing cooperation and innovation for the future of Europe’s oceans and waters.
The Exhibition Area provided an important opportunity for the One Water Alliance to present its mission, activities and growing international network, while engaging with organisations and initiatives active in the fields of water, marine research, blue innovation and sustainability.
During the event, we also had the pleasure of presenting the One Water Alliance to the European Commissioner for Fisheries and Oceans Costas Kadis and exchanging views on the importance of strengthening cooperation across Europe and the Mediterranean region. In his opening keynote speech, Commissioner Kadis highlighted the need to reinforce science-policy interfaces, strengthen collaboration among Member States, and invest in ocean knowledge systems to support evidence-based decision-making at the European level.
These priorities strongly resonate with the mission of the One Water Alliance, which aims to foster collaboration, knowledge exchange and integrated approaches to address shared water and ocean challenges through science, innovation and international cooperation.
Beyond the institutional dialogue, the event also represented a valuable networking opportunity for the Alliance. It allowed us to connect with potential new partners interested in joining this growing community, while also meeting and strengthening relationships with organisations already part of the network. The many exchanges throughout the day once again highlighted the importance of building strong synergies across sectors, disciplines and countries to advance sustainable and resilient solutions for our waters and oceans.
We sincerely thank Cyprus Marine and Maritime Institute, Deputy Ministry of Research, Innovation and Digital Policy and ERATOSTHENES Centre of Excellence for their kind invitation and for creating such a dynamic and collaborative environment.
A special thank you to Zacharias Siokouros and Gotelenne Piaton from CMMI for their warm support and for making our participation possible.
