Today, the Rome Declaration was presented at the EurOCEAN 2014 conference, an official event of the Italian EU Presidency. Setting a vision for seas and ocean science to achieve an ecosystem approach to the management of Europe’s marine resources as a fundamental requirement for sustainable Blue Growth, the Rome Declaration sets out four high level goals and associated actions for delivering this vision. The four goals comprise: Valuing the Ocean; Capitalizing on European leadership; Advancing ocean knowledge and; Breaking barriers. ‘It’s a vision that is about connecting science, policy and people’, stated Professor Ed Hill, Chair of the Rome Declaration Drafting Group, during the presentation of the Declaration. Some 340 European scientists, policymakers and other experts representing 143 organizations from 31 countries attended EurOCEAN 2014. Picture features (from left): Ed Hill, Chair of the Rome Declaration Drafting Group, Mauro Bertelletti, Italian Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Forestry Policy, Rudolf Strohmeier, Deputy Director General of the European Commission DG Research and Innovation, Ricardo Santos, Member of the European Parliament, and Jan Mees, Chair of the European Marine Board.