From the Vendée Globe to European maritime policy
How Catherine Chabaud and the German Ocean Foundation are helping shape Europe's ocean agenda
The appointment of Catherine Chabaud as France's Minister for the Sea brings things full circle: few people embody the combination of adventure, responsibility, and political foresight as impressively as Catherine does. As the first woman to sail solo in the legendary Vendée Globe, she recognized early on that the ocean is more than just a venue for sporting achievements – it is the backbone of our planet.
Years before she joined the European Parliament and now the French government, Catherine Chabaud was one of the German Ocean Foundation's closest European allies. As an advisor to the foundation, she shaped its European orientation from the outset and played a decisive role in various areas in putting the ocean on Europe's political agenda. Without her and 30 other marine experts, the European Ocean Pact would not exist today.
Foresight and vision: the founding of the Ocean & Climate Platform
With great foresight, Catherine Chabaud initiated the Ocean & Climate Platform in 2015 as an international alliance, now one of the most influential networks for marine conservation. It brings together more than 100 partner organizations from science, politics, NGOs, and business—and pursues the goal of raising awareness of the ocean as a central factor in the climate system.
The idea arose from a simple but powerful realization: the ocean regulates the climate, stores CO₂, produces oxygen, and feeds billions of people – and yet it has long been missing in the United Nations climate negotiations. Chabaud wanted to change that.
With the support and cooperation of the German Ocean Foundation, a Blue Voice was successfully introduced into international climate debates – a success that became apparent at the 2015 Paris Climate Conference (COP 21), where the Ocean & Climate Platform was first recognized as an official partner.
European alliances for the ocean
The collaboration between Catherine Chabaud and the German Ocean Foundation was characterized by a European spirit from the very beginning. Both share the conviction that marine conservation does not end at national borders, but is a common, overarching task for Europe.
Together, they are committed to ensuring that the ocean is more firmly anchored in European climate and sustainability strategies – for example, as part of the EU mission “Restore Our Ocean and Waters,” in which the German Ocean Foundation has been actively involved since 2024.
Their collaboration brought science, politics, and society closer together: as a sailor, she is particularly passionate about our projects such as love your ocean, the Research at Sea competition, and the expeditions of the research and media vessel ALDEBARAN.
The shared vision has always been clear: the ocean needs a voice – and Europe must be that voice, particularlz in view of the fact that Europe has the largest economic zone in the ocean, covering 24.5 million km².
Chabaud and the German Ocean Foundation are united by the conviction that effective marine conservation can only succeed when knowledge, emotion, and responsibility come together.
The Ocean & Climate Platform has created a movement that does just that: it brings researchers, activists, entrepreneurs, and decision-makers together around one table. Today, it is considered a blueprint for successful multi-stakeholder cooperation in the marine and climate sectors.
Catherine Chabaud has thus laid the foundation for European “blue diplomacy” – a maritime foreign policy that combines ecological necessity with social engagement. The German Ocean Foundation is carrying this idea forward – as a bridge between science and society, between the North Sea and the Baltic Sea and the global ocean.
A shared legacy
With Catherine Chabaud's appointment as French Minister for the Sea, European ocean policy gains a voice with experience, empathy, and courage. Her connection to the German Ocean Foundation remains a symbol of European cooperation in action—beyond bureaucracy and driven by people who not only understand the sea but love it.
“With Catherine Chabaud and the European Ocean Pact, we have successfully fought to bring the ocean to the heart of Europe. It is afterall foundation of our life on this planet,” says Frank Schweikert, founder of the German Ocean Foundation.
