This Associated Committee ECOPS (Joint ESF/EC Committee) established as a joint enterprise by the ESF and the Directorate XII of the CEC in 1989, is an expert Committee to give guidance and to advise the ESF and the EC on matters of scientific priority and policy in the domain of ocean and polar sciences to stimulate European cooperation. ECOPS takes into account the need for developing new technologies, particularly in the fields of automated monitoring and of remote sensing.