![\"\"](\"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/website\/images\/logos\/logo-euronews-stacked-outlined-72x72-grey-9.svg\"){kind=logo}
\n ADVERTISEMENT<\/p>\n
The European Commission announced on Wednesday a sweeping \u20ac92 million maritime initiative aimed at positioning the European Union as the global superpower in ocean patrolling and intelligence, citing “malicious actors” increasingly exploiting grey-zone tactics.<\/p>\n
\n ADVERTISEMENT<\/p>\n
\n ADVERTISEMENT<\/p>\n
The ocean covers 70% of the planet’s surface, but only 5% of it has been explored. The Commission’s goal for the ocean observation plan announced by Commissioner for Fisheries and Oceans Costa Kadis and Research Commissioner Ekaterina Zaharieva is to capture 35% of the global ocean observing market and technology infrastructure by 2035, backed by \u20ac92 million in EU funds.<\/p>\n
“This is about using science and good governance to understand our ocean and secure our future,” Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said about the new ocean observation plan, framing the initiative as a strategic imperative for climate forecasting and defence<\/a>, shortly after the United States announced the dismantling of its own ocean observatory system.<\/p>\n But perhaps the underlying message of the Commission’s new bid to discreetly patrol the deep sea lies in its “maritime security and defence” ambitions, with subtle references to seabed warfare and the critical geopolitical reality of protecting subsea energy and data systems. <\/p>\n “Robust maritime observation capabilities \u2014 from space to the seabed \u2014 are essential for detecting, deterring, and mitigating risks before they escalate into systemic disruptions,” reads the Commission’s initiative.<\/p>\n Critical undersea cables \u2014 responsible for 95% of international internet traffic and billions in economic transactions \u2014 are under constant threat of hybrid sabotage, with the Baltic Sea <\/a>becoming a hotspot for such attacks. <\/p>\n While not telecommunication cables, the Nord Stream pipeline sabotage, a series of underwater explosions and subsequent gas leaks that occurred in 2022, still remains unresolved today, despite the profound political havoc<\/a> that ensued.<\/p>\n By deploying “autonomous systems, sensors and artificial intelligence (AI)” under the guise of observation, the EU seems to be quietly building an underwater surveillance net. Adding to that, the deployment of “multi-sensor fishing vessels,” autonomous gliders, and specialised drone-carriers, suggests that Brussels is effectively establishing a permanent, distributed surveillance web across European exclusive economic zones.<\/p>\n