The 13th Meeting of the IHO-EU Network Working Group (IENWG) was held in Brest (France) on 23 May 2023. The Working Group was established by the International Hydrographic Organization under the Memorandum of Understanding between the IHO and the EU, signed in 2012. The Working Group deals with issues of cooperation between the IHO and the EU in the field of hydrography, in particular concerning models of cooperation for the purpose of collecting hydrographic data and availability of such data for wider use at EU Member State level. The meeting was attended by the HHI representative Goran Strinić.

Besides representatives of hydrographic offices, the meeting was attended by Remy Denos, representative of the Directorate-General for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries (DG MARE). Following a presentation on the importance of bathymetric data collection in Europe, there was a discussion on the economic impact of data collection.

Highlights of the meeting:

• CINEA Study for Reporting Obligations for Ocean Observation
• High Value datasets topic in Open Data Directive
• INSPIRE future

During and after the meeting, the HHI representative participated in the meetings with SHOM experts to discuss implementation of S-100 standard and exchange experiences on this topic.

The European Maritime Day EMD 2023 took place on 24 and 25 May. Main topics focused on safety, MSP and project financing, and development. The EMD was attended mostly by users of the data collected, processed, and produced by hydrographic offices.