The high-level 2025 United Nations Ocean Conference (Nice, 9–13 June 2025) aims to support the implementation of Sustainable Development Goal 14: Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas, and marine resources for sustainable development. This global Conference, which brought together political representatives, NGOs, researchers, and other key stakeholders committed to ocean sustainability, offered a unique opportunity for MMinE-SwEEPER to raise awareness about the threats posed by marine munitions and to engage with stakeholders in fostering stronger cooperation for their remediation.
In this context, MMinE-SwEEPER, together with its sister EU-cofunded projects MUNIMAP and MUNI-RISK, participated in a dedicated side event on 11 June aboard the research vessel METEOR. The event focused on raising awareness of the environmental and security threats posed by marine munitions and stressed the urgency of international cooperation for coordinated management strategies.
The side event, titled “No Time to Waste: Tackling Submerged Munitions in European Seas,” was organised by GEOMAR, HELCOM, BMUKN, and BMFTR (*). It brought together a diverse audience of international decision-makers, offshore industry developers, security agencies, NGOs, and representatives from both national and international research initiatives. The aim was to foster collaboration and dialogue around one of the ocean’s most pressing and often overlooked challenges—legacy munitions on the seafloor.
The event began with keynote speeches delivered by leading researchers and government ministry representatives. These opening remarks set the stage for a high-level panel discussion, featuring experts in science, policy, regional cooperation, and EU leadership. The panel explored the growing need for integrated, science-based responses to the risks posed by submerged munitions.
Following the panel, attendees were invited to explore seven “Thematic Islands”, each highlighting different aspects of marine munitions research and remediation. These stations showcased ongoing initiatives, technical challenges, and innovative solutions, while facilitating direct interaction between experts and participants.
MMinE-SwEEPER, MUNIMAP, and MUNI-RISK co-hosted a thematic island focused on the legal frameworks and operational challenges surrounding munitions remediation in Europe. Their presentation highlighted the complexity of initiating effective and environmentally sound marine munitions remediation actions, particularly in light of fragmented regulatory frameworks in Europe.
Audience members showed strong interest, posing insightful questions to the panelists and engaging actively with the thematic islands. Many were particularly interested in the policy and legal challenges involved in undertaking remediation actions, with some even participating in brainstorming potential solutions.
Next steps: A follow-up letter was sent to the invitees to encourage continued dialogue and invite them to subscribe to the MMinE-SwEEPER newsletter and participate in upcoming surveys on concerns and needs related to the remediation of marine munitions.
(*)Organisers: GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel, the Baltic Marine Environment Protection Commission (HELCOM), the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Climate Action, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMUKN) and the German Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space (BMFTR) Supporting partners include the Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI), the Council of the Baltic Sea States (CBSS), the Institute of Oceanology of the Polish Academy of Sciences (IO PAN), JPI Oceans and the German Environment Agency (UBA)
