January /February
→ Surfrider has been invited to speak at the launch of the European Parliamentary Intergroup on the Ocean and the Seas
→ Surfrider has joined the IUCN and the IUCN French Committee to strengthen its capacity to act on nature-based solutions (NbS)
→ Launch of the new eco-designed website surfrider.fr
March /April
→ Publication of the assessment report on the Bathing Water Directive, the conclusions of which are fully in line with our Manifesto for the quality of bathing and recreational waters in Europe
→ Organisation of Staff Days bringing together all employees of SFE and its entities
→ 134 participants at the Volunteers Days in Biarritz – a record!; this figure includes volunteers, staff and IO volunteers invited for the occasion
→ Surfrider was received by the European Commissioner for the Ocean alongside its partners from the so-called ‘blue NGOs’ coalition
→ Awarded the QUALIOPI certificate: as a result, the training courses offered and delivered by Act! with Surfrider in companies are now funded by the OPCOs.
May /June
→ Screening of the film “Algues Vertes” at a cinema in Brussels, followed the next day by a round-table discussion at the European Parliament attended by the director Pierre Jolivet and several experts, as well as representatives from the European Commission and Green MEP David Cormand.
Co-organised by Surfrider and EEB, with a presentation by Surfrider at the Parliament
→ Surfrider calls for the removal of cigarette filter tips
→ World No Tobacco Day: mobilisation of local groups and organisations
→ Launch of the PFAS campaign and first samples taken at pre-defined locations
→ Release of the annual European report on bathing water quality, to which Surfrider responds by reiterating its key demands regarding the revision of the Directive
→ Surfrider takes part in UNOC!
The association is present at Ocean Basecamp to raise awareness among various audiences about ocean protection through a wide range of activities.
Surfrider also organised the Universal Swim for the Ocean, a festive and committed event, but above all a strong signal to international delegations to remind them that defending the ocean unites us all.
→ Response to the launch of two major European initiatives: the European Pact for the Ocean and the European Water Resilience Strategy
July /August
→ Surfrider has voiced its dissatisfaction regarding the failure to revise the Bathing Water Directive and is encouraging its community to call on the European Commission to take action (677 actions on the Chili platform)
→ The numerous reports received by Surfrider and the subsequent water samples have confirmed the return of Ostreopsis to the Basque Country
→ Installation of the ‘Baignade Interdite’ exhibition at the headquarters in Biarritz (July to September)
→ Surfrider is in Geneva for INC-5.2 to lobby for an ambitious plastics treaty
Sept. /October
→ Demonstration at Place de Luxembourg in Brussels, calling on the Parliament, the Council and the Commission to swiftly conclude the trilogues and adopt an ambitious common position on updating the list of pollutants in surface water and groundwater. This event will be followed by a final trilogue between the institutions, at the end of which a final position will finally be adopted
→ Surfrider is received by the European Commissioner for the Ocean alongside its partners from the so-called ‘Blue NGOs’ coalition
→ Launch of the ‘La plage préférée des français’ campaign
→ Celebration of Ocean Week 2026 – a launch event organised by Surfrider on behalf of the Blue NGOs – brings together over 100 people, including the European Commissioner for the Ocean
→ Surfrider meets the three newly appointed French ministers:
Monique Barbut – Minister for Ecological Transition, Biodiversity and International Negotiations
on Climate and Nature in France.
Catherine Chabaud – Minister Delegate to the Minister for Ecological Transition, Biodiversity and International Negotiations on Climate and Nature in France, responsible for the Sea and Fisheries.
Mathieu Lefèvre – Minister attached to the Minister for Ecological Transition, Biodiversity and International Negotiations
on Climate and Nature of France, responsible for Ecological Transition
Nov. /December
→ Surfrider has updated its official recommendations on the management of bathing water quality in Europe following the announcement that the European Directive will not be revised
→ Organisation of a screening of *Homo Plasticus* and a round-table discussion with French MEPs as part of European Waste Reduction Week
→ Volunteers Days in Marseille, 84 participants (staff + volunteers); a small “celebration” with a commemorative photo marking the association’s 35th anniversary
→ Publication of the report on stakeholders’ perceptions of blue carbon credits
→ Surfrider Foundation officially joins the Living Rivers Europe coalition
→ Launch of an internal newsletter to facilitate the dissemination of information to all staff and board members.
→ Intellectual property protection for the coastal mural: its roll-out can begin!