Dr. Avgerinopoulou on the Signing of the Mercator Convention: “Greece at the Forefront of Digital Ocean Governance”

April 27, 2026

Following the signing of the Convention establishing the intergovernmental organisation “Mercator”, Dr. Dionysia-Theodora Avgerinopoulou, Special Envoy of the Greek Prime Minister for the Oceans and Chair of the Committee on Environmental Protection of the Hellenic Parliament, expressed her strong satisfaction with this development, underlining its strategic importance for Greece.

Dr. Avgerinopoulou stated:

“The signing of the Mercator Convention represents a major milestone for Greece and the culmination of a long and systematic effort developed over the past two years at national and European level.

It is the result of processes carried out within the framework of the 9th ‘Our Ocean’ Conference, the work of the Parliamentary Committee on Environmental Protection, as well as our active participation in the 3rd United Nations Ocean Conference (UNOC3) in Nice. It also stems from substantial and extended consultations among the competent Ministries of Digital Governance, Environment and Energy, Shipping, and Foreign Affairs, as well as HCMR, which shaped a coherent national approach.

Greece is among the first countries to sign the Convention, confirming its active role in ocean protection. Our participation in the Mercator organisation is directly linked to the use of advanced digital infrastructures, services, and ocean tools enabling big data analysis and evidence-based decision-making for sustainable ocean governance. Mercator will ensure the long-term provision of cutting-edge digital services, including the Digital Twin of the Ocean (DTO), offering near real-time scientific information on the ocean and strengthening climate adaptation, maritime safety, environmental protection, and the sustainable blue economy, bridging science and policymaking. The ‘Coastal Crete’ project, a full digital representation of the ocean in the Crete region funded by Mercator, is already being implemented in Greece, with significant potential for expansion to other maritime and coastal areas of the country.

Particular importance lies in the enhanced capacity to protect coastal zones, forecast and address environmental risks, and strengthen the resilience of marine ecosystems. At the same time, Greece’s participation in Mercator significantly enhances its geopolitical role. As a leading maritime nation and a strategic hub in the Eastern Mediterranean, Greece can play a leading role in shaping European and international ocean, climate, and security policies.

I would like to warmly congratulate Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and President Emmanuel Macron for the decisive steps they are taking through the Mercator Organisation to equip humanity with the tools needed to protect the ocean.

Our country is investing dynamically in the future of the seas and actively contributing to the development of a new, robust framework for digital ocean governance. The modern era requires the use of artificial intelligence (AI) and digital tools to collect sufficient scientific data and utilize it for the sustainable management of marine resources and ocean protection.”