Headline: Setting the course for a sustainable blue planet: Recommendations for enhancing EU action

The European Commission (EC) with the European External Action Service (EEAS) launched the European Union (EU) International Ocean Governance Forum (IOG Forum) in 2020. It was created as a platform for ocean stakeholders within and beyond Europe to share knowledge, experiences and good practices on ocean governance, and to support the further development of the EU’s International Ocean Governance Agenda (IOG Agenda). The online engagement of experts and stakeholders from Europe and beyond via webinars, workshops and a targeted public consultation throughout 2020 helped identify key international ocean governance actions that could be implemented by the EU to help set the course for a sustainable blue planet. Contributions obtained have been compiled by the consortium of scientific institutions and think tanks supporting the EC. Through a co-creative process with experts from the EC and the EEAS, these contributions were turned into recommendations for priority EU actions and proposed implementation pathways.