Esteemed participants, distinguished guests, dear colleagues,
It is a great pleasure to address you today — at the Annual Ocean Energy Europe Conference & Exhibition, a flagship event bringing together policymakers, industry leaders, and innovators to shape the future of ocean energy in Europe and beyond. It is taking place at a pivotal moment for Europes ocean, climate, and our shared future.
This June, the European Commission marked an important milestone with the announcement of the European Ocean Pact, during the UN Ocean Conference in Nice. And next week, global leaders will gather at the 30th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.
These two events are connected. They remind us that the ocean and climate are a single system, relying on mutual progress. Understanding this connection is key, because we are living in a time of profound transformation.
Environmental shifts and economic pressures are reshaping our world, while energy security has emerged as one of the defining challenges of our generation. Yet within these challenges lies a tremendous opportunity — an opportunity to build a clean, resilient, and sustainable future, powered by European innovation and cooperation.
As I walked through the exhibition earlier this afternoon, I saw, first-hand, how European companies are transforming that opportunity into reality. Across our seas, they are developing technologies that harness the oceans power, bringing Europe closer to achieving its ambition to become the first climate-neutral continent by 2050.
And that is what brings us here.
Today, I will focus on two initiatives that capture Europes ambition and capacity to lead: the European Ocean Pact and Europes leadership on ocean energy.
The European Ocean Pact is the result of collaboration, bringing together the European Commission, national authorities, businesses, scientists, coastal communities, civil society and millions of citizens reliant on the blue economy. It is our response to the growing pressures our seas face and your call to bring clarity and coherence to Europes ocean policies.
This Pact integrates our economic, environmental, and social goals in a balanced way, ensuring the full participation of stakeholders at every level. It brings all EU ocean-related policies under a single framework, structured around six priority areas:
- Ocean health,
- A sustainable blue economy,
- Support for coastal communities,
- Research and innovation,
- Maritime security and surveillance, and
- Ocean governance and diplomacy.
A number of initiatives serving each one of these priorities will be carried out in the framework of the Ocean Pact.
Therefore, these priorities are not abstract concepts; they directly relay to the daily work many of you do. Together, they reaffirm a simple truth: ocean energy, including but not limited to tidal energy, offshore wind energy and wave energy, is essential for achieving both climate neutrality and energy security of our Union.
The Ocean Pact will also introduce new governance tools — an Ocean Board - to bring together stakeholders, and an Ocean Pact Dashboard - to track progress transparently. By the end of 2026, these efforts will culminate in the European Ocean Act, providing an integrated legislative framework for sustainable ocean management.
But ambition alone is not enough. The Ocean Pact is a major step forward, but its success depends on robust implementation, adequate financing, and active engagement from all partners.
We must work together to translate its principles into concrete actions and measurable results. In addition, we must also ensure that the transition to a sustainable blue economy is inclusive, with all regions -- especially coastal, island, and outermost communities — reaping the rewards. For these areas of our Union, ocean energy offers a pathway to self-sufficiency, economic growth, and climate resilience. The Commission is working both on a strategy for the outermost regions and a strategy on coastal and island communities.
I am glad to see Ocean Energy Europe and many of you here actively supporting the Ocean Pact. We now must turn our efforts toward implementation, because policy only works when it shaped by people who share responsibility for its success.
We invite you to engage in the call for evidence for the Ocean Act that will soon be launched. We encourage Member States to give this sector visibility and support. We call upon investors to recognise its long-term potential. And we encourage innovators to keep pushing the boundaries of what is possible.
Turning now more precisely to ocean energy, from the Atlantic to the North Sea, from the Mediterranean to our outermost regions, European researchers and companies lead the way in developing tidal, offshore wind and wave technologies that offer clean, reliable power.
This is a genuine European success story. Ocean energy is 100% made in Europe, supported by an industrial value chain that is almost entirely European. But this is more than technological progress. It is a story of economic opportunity and strategic independence.
Our Offshore Renewable Energy Strategy, adopted in 2020 and updated in 2023, confirmed that this ambition is both justified and achievable. By 2050, ocean energy could provide clean electricity to roughly 35–40 million European households.
Yet the benefits go beyond numbers. It can help balance the grid, reduce the need for storage, and provide stable, predictable energy to islands and remote coastal regions.
In short, ocean energy strengthens both our climate action and our energy security. It harnesses Europes own natural resources, using technologies developed and built here — by Europeans, for Europeans.
The European Commission is fully committed to the success of this sector. From policy to funding, we are helping European innovators transition their technologies from lab to market.
Since 2010, the EU has invested over €375 million in ocean energy through programmes such as Horizon Europe and the Innovation Fund. Looking forward, the next Horizon Europe budget and the new European Competitiveness Fund aim to double this funding, while fostering collaboration between SMEs and start-ups to accelerate innovation in sustainable energy.
We also encourage Member States to support emerging technologies through the Renewable Energy Directive and the Net Zero Industry Act. Our mission is clear: to help European SMEs in reaching full commercialisation and securing Europes status as the global leader in ocean energy.
Across the continent, a strong pipeline of pilot and pre-commercial projects, supported by European and national funds and growing private investment, is taking shape. Together, we are transforming research into reality. Our approach is clear and consistent: sustainable deployment of marine renewable energy, grounded in science, cooperation, and best practices.
We will continue promoting knowledge-sharing between Member States and encourage them to include ocean energy in their National Energy and Climate Plans. Clear national targets and predictable frameworks are essential for building investor confidence and accelerating deployment.
Looking ahead, we are preparing the Maritime Industrial Strategy and working closely with Commissioner Jorgensen to ensure that ocean energy remains a cornerstone of Europes clean industrial transition.
Together, we can achieve more than decarbonisation. We can restore our seas, strengthen our industrial base, enhance our energy security, and create sustainable jobs in every coastal region of Europe.
Europe has always led through innovation, cooperation, and the courage to act. The European Ocean Pact and the advancement of ocean energy are the next chapter in that story. They symbolise a Europe that is confident, forward-looking, and united by the belief that a clean, resilient future is within our grasp.
Walking through the exhibition hall, I was inspired by the creativity, the determination, and the diversity of technologies emerging from our seas. This innovative spirit is Europes greatest strength.
Let it continue to thrive — now more than ever, when the world needs Europe to lead by example on climate and ocean action.
Let us match ambition with action.
And lets build an ocean-powered sustainable blue economy.
