Towards a Coherent & Cross-Compliant Ocean Governance is a webinar series showcasing insights on how the EU governs its oceans and seas. Marine governance experts will share their findings, recommendations and tools to advance the alignment of conservation and sustainable development targets in marine policies, supporting the achievement of the Green Deal’s goals.
Find more information and register for one or more webinars individually below.
1. Understanding the ambitions for the European oceans, regulatory realities and the need for policy coherence.
Date: Monday 17th of March, 11:00-12:00 CET
Webinar Description:
The European Green Deal (and the forthcoming Oceans Pact) set many ambitious goals and targets for the oceans. These need to be implemented and realized within a complex landscape of old and new policies and laws. This webinar sheds light on the diverse set of marine ambitions, the complex regulatory context in which these should be achieved, and the need for more policy coherence to ensure that.
Don’t miss the chance to engage in this interactive exchange on EU marine policy and contribute to actionable solutions for Ocean Governance in Europe.
Speakers:
- Froukje Maria Platjouw – Research Manager and Legal Expert in EU and international environmental law, Norwegian Institute for Water Research
- Gunnar Sander – Senior Research Scientist, Norwegian Institute for Water Research
- Niko Soininen – Professor of Environmental law, University of Eastern Finland
- Nikolaos Giannopoulos – Assistant Professor in International and European Law, Utrecht University
- Sebastian Maria Karl Heinrich Kopf – Moderator – Global Ocean Law Expert, Norwegian Institute for Water Research
2. Policy coherence in marine governance – How can we comprehensively assess and understand it?
Date: Thursday 27th of March, 11:00-12:00 CET
Webinar Description
Policy coherence refers to the extent to which different policies work in concert, reinforcing each other by fostering synergies and mitigating conflict. The lack of coherence can result in sub-optimal trade-offs or incentives that undermine the objectives of other policies. Policy coherence is crucial for the realization of the various high-level ambitions of the Green Deal. It has also been emphasized strongly in the context of the forthcoming Oceans Pact. This webinar provides a deep dive into the concept of policy coherence and clarifies how it can be assessed in the context of marine policies. Join us to gain practical knowledge on how to evaluate the level of coherence between policies, and to better understand why certain levels of (in)coherence exist.
Speakers:
- Froukje Maria Platjouw – Research Manager and Legal Expert in EU and international environmental law, Norwegian Institute for Water Research
- Gunnar Sander – Senior Research Scientist, Norwegian Institute for Water Research
- Laura Friedrich – Researcher and Ocean Governance Expert, Norwegian Institute for Water Research
- Jonas Kyrönviita – Posdoctoral Researcher in Marine Environmental Law, University of Eastern Finland
- Suvi-Tuuli Puharinen – Assistant Professor of EU environmental law, Maastricht University
- Saskia Trubbach – Marine governance researcher at Norwegian Institute for Water Research
3. Evidence-based marine policy making: concepts, challenges, and recommendations
Date: Thursday 3rd of April, 11:00-12:00 CET
Webinar Description
Science-policy-society interfaces (SPSIs) are interactions between scientists and actors involved in the policy process that allow exchanges, co-evolution, and joint construction of knowledge, therefore enriching decision-making. When optimal, SPSIs ensure sound policy formulation, implementation, and adaptation processes, and can deal with different elements, such as incomplete knowledge, unpredictability, uncertainty, and ambiguity, thus improving coherence and cross-compliance in ocean governance. This webinar, centred on the topic of evidence-based policymaking in the field of marine governance, presents the main conceptual elements of SPSIs functioning, provides examples of current practices, challenges and related recommendations to support effective SPSIs towards reaching EGD objectives.
Join us to learn from real-world examples illustrating successes and challenges of SPSIs functioning, and gain practical knowledge on how to adapt it into your own professional context.
Speakers:
- Ginevra Capurso – Research Fellow | CNR-ISMAR Institute of Marine Sciences
- Emiliano Ramieri – Research manager and Marine Policy Expert, CNR-ISMAR Institute of Marine Sciences
- Andrea Barbanti – Research Manager | CNR-ISMAR Institute of Marine Sciences
- Sašo Gorjanc – Project Manager Ocean Policy and Governance, ACTeon
- Mauro Randone – Regional Projects Manager at WWF Mediterranean Marine Initiative
- Judith van Leeuwen – Associate Professor at Environmental Policy Group of Wageningen University
4. Balancing offshore wind energy expansion and biodiversity protection in the North Sea
Date: Monday 12th of May, 11:00-12:00 CET
Webinar Description
The EU’s targets for offshore renewable energy and biodiversity conservation are ambitious, multi-layered, and ultimately interconnected. Offshore wind energy is a key pillar in the EU’s clean energy transition, yet its expansion raises concerns about potential trade-offs with marine biodiversity protection. This webinar will explore governance challenges in aligning offshore wind deployment with conservation objectives. Through expert insights and case study examples, panelists will discuss the current policy landscape, highlight conflicts and synergies, and identify opportunities to enhance coherence between climate and biodiversity goals.
Join us to explore concrete examples of how we can address conflicts and synergies between renewable energy targets and biodiversity conservation.
Speakers:
- Nikolaos Giannopoulos – Assistant Professor in International and European Law, Utrecht University
- Cristian Passarello – Research Associate , Research Institute for Sustainability (RIFS)
- Ben Boteler – Senior Research Associate, Research Institute for Sustainability (RIFS)
- Maaike Knol-Kauffman – Senior Researcher , Norwegian Institute for Water Research (NIVA)
5. Policy coherence from source to sea
Date: Wednesday 14th of May, 11:00-12:00 CET
Webinar Description:
A source-to-sea approach ensures that upstream activities, such as agriculture and industrial processes, are managed to prevent downstream impacts on coastal and marine ecosystems.
This session provides insights from three national case studies on how the source-to-sea issue is addressed in the policy and regulatory landscape of Europe. The studies specifically focus on mechanisms to to ensure coherence between WFD and MSFD, two directives for achieving good environmental/ecological status – however with different geographical and thematic focus areas.
Don’t miss the chance to gain valuable insights from real-case studies on how to achieve coherence between marine policies and ensure a sea-to-source approach.
Speakers:
- Saskia Trubbach – Marine governance researcher at Norwegian Institute for Water Research
- Laura Bastide – Marine policy and resources officer, ACTeon
- Jonas Kyrönviita – Posdoctoral Researcher in Marine Environmental Law, University of Eastern Finland
- Niko Soininen – Professor of Environmental law, University of Eastern Finland
- Suvi-Tuuli Puharinen – Assistant Professor EU Environmental Law, UM
- Antti Belinskij – Research Professor UEF
Organiser
