The Youth4Ocean Forum at European Youth Week 2026

“[C]ost of living, affordable housing and quality jobs [are] the three issues young people across Europe are most concerned about. It is your engagement that is helping drive them up the European agenda”. The 2026 European Youth Week opened with these words by Roberta Metsola, President of the European Parliament. 

Quality jobs are essential. They support our day-to-day schedule, but also our long‑term security, wellbeing, and role in society. Still, some little-known sectors offer untapped opportunities for new generations and can greatly benefit from contributions from young people with diverse yet complementary backgrounds.

The blue economy is one of the incredibly rich but niche sectors that could offer great opportunities to the next generations of bright young minds. In fact, according to the Study to Support and Design Skills Development in the Blue Economy, the blue economy offers valuable potential in terms of economic diversification, professional growth and job creation, contributing to bright future prospects for many. Yet, this sector is projected to suffer from problematic generational renewal of workers, and many do not regard the possibility of entering the blue economy as a desirable professional career pathway. 

It is with this in mind that the Youth4Ocean Forum attended European Youth Week. The key objective was to talk to young promising prospects and to highlight how the Forum gives them the opportunity to pursue a career in the blue economy that is both rewarding and fulfilling. 

At the Youth4Ocean Forum stand, our exchanges with youth revolved around the many profiles that a future competitive blue economy in the EU requires: from policy experts to environmental scientists, from engineers and data analysts to marine biologists, plenty of opportunities are available thanks to the solid commitment of the EU to the ocean. 

We showed that new generations can greatly contribute to achieving the ambitious targets the EU set in the European Ocean Pact, and that ocean literacy is a fruitful ally in breaking into the blue economy. 

But that was not all: some of our Young Ocean Advocates took centre stage and led a session on ocean observation, trying to explore why young people should have a stronger voice in shaping solutions for the sustainable management of our ocean. Many EU initiatives were showcased, including the European Digital Twin of the Ocean and the recently announced OceanEye, and the panel discussed how these can contribute to resilient and thriving communities. 

Lastly, our panelists underlined how ocean data analysis and observation open new interesting opportunities within the sustainable blue economy, and that citizen science and ocean literacy initiatives can help everyone see the potential of the blue economy for the creation of quality jobs. 

The 2026 European Youth Week gave us the occasion to see that quality jobs and a fair future for young people go hand in hand with a healthy ocean and a thriving, sustainable blue economy. 

We at the Youth4Ocean Forum are excited to help shape the new workforce for the EU’s blue economy. To learn more about how to become a member, visit this page.