European Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Commissioner Maria Damanaki, on September 13, unveiled the European Commission's Marine Knowledge 2020 proposal to unlock the potential of Europe's marine knowledge.

The proposal seeks to enhance understanding of Europe's seas and oceans, make the use of marine data easier and less costly and foster competitiveness among marine-data users.

As Commissioner Damanaki said, Marine Knowledge 2020 is a comprehensive proposal, which has three basic objectives: to help private industry compete in the global economy and meet the challenges of sustainability, improve the quality of public decision-making at all levels and strengthen marine research; increase competition and innovation; and, provide a sounder basis for managing future changes in order to meet the crucial targets of Europe2020 strategy.