In May, ERRIN organised a focus group meeting with regions to discuss the Charter of the EU Mission Restore our Ocean and Waters by 2023 (Ocean and Waters Mission). The meeting was organised with the Mission Ocean Implementation Support Platform, in which ERRIN is a partner. Regions represent one of the stakeholder groups that have, so far, been more challenging to actively engage in the Mission and that have submitted limited pledges to the Mission Charter. Together with eight ERRIN member regions, who are actively following and working on the Ocean and Waters Mission, we discussed benefits and concerns around the Mission Charter, as well as how the support services proposed by the Charter can be improved to better support the needs of regions.  

Regions that have endorsed the Charter found that the Mission aligns with existing regional policy objectives and strategies and reinforces regional objectives and work while creating a link to EU policy objectives. The networking element is also perceived as a benefit, as it allows regions and other stakeholders to share experiences, build partnerships and develop joint actions such as EU projects.

The key concerns that were raised by the regions were the unclear and limited services currently offered by the Charter, the broad stakeholder focus – making it difficult for regions to see a clear and concrete role for them in the Mission and the unclarity around the next steps after endorsing the Charter. Additionally, the lack of alignment between the topics of the Horizon Europe calls for proposals and regional priorities was highlighted as a key concern, as this has a negative impact on regions’ motivation to endorse the Mission Charter. ERRIN has previously stated in its input paper to the Horizon consultation the need for a bottom-up approach in the development of Horizon Europe calls for the Ocean and Waters Mission to ensure that they address the actual challenges that regions face on the ground.

Several interesting suggestions for support services were brought to the table during the discussions. Some of these include assistance in finding synergies with other funding sources, project development support through the Mission Implementation Platform, support in ‘connecting the dots’ between various projects and initiatives and the services they provide to regions, as well as the establishment of a ‘sounding board’ among the endorsers of the Charter to launch bottom-up suggestions.

The Mission Ocean Implementation Support Platform will consider the outcomes of the focus group meetings organised with different stakeholders to enhance its support services and engage in discussions with the Ocean and Waters Mission Secretariat.