We Are The Whale

Tuesday 29th september, 11.45am-2PM

European parliament esplanade, brussels

On 29 September, a life-sized whale installation will come to the heart of the EU quarter, with a message that EU policy-makers can’t ignore.

The whale has already been washed ashore in multiple locations across Belgium. Now, for Ocean Week 2026, it is coming to the EU institutions.

The whale is the artistic and social project of the Flemish artist and actor Wim Opbrouck, in collaboration with IOBZ – the Institute for Research into the Enchantment of the Seas.

Join Seas At Risk for the 'We Are The Whale' inauguration with:

🇪🇺 Executive Vice President for a Clean, Just and Competitive Transition and Commissioner for Competition Teresa Ribera

👑 HRH Princess Marie-Esmeralda of Belgium

🌊 Dr Monica Verbeek, Executive Director, Seas At Risk

🐋 Wim Opbrouck, Co-Founder of the Institute for Research into the Enchantment of the Seas (IOBZ)

Whales may be the ocean’s most visible, gentle giants, but the threats they face are far less noticeable from Brussels. Climate change is warming our seas, disrupting marine ecosystems and changing the habitat they depend upon while underwater noise, pollution and overfishing are adding to the pressure.  

But what happens in the ocean doesn’t stay in the ocean. The ocean is Europe’s greatest climate regulator, absorbing the vast majority of excess heat and a significant amount of our carbon emissions. As marine ecosystems are degraded, we weaken one of our strongest natural defenses against climate change and put coastal communities at greater risk.

Protecting and restoring the ocean must be at the heart of EU’s climate response with a sustainable blue economy that works with nature.

With the European Ocean Act expected in December, the EU has the opportunity to turn promise into real protection and recognise that the ocean is one of our greatest allies against climate change.

Paint, climate, action!

Following the inauguration, join us for a curated painting session inspired by three themes at the heart of the ocean: the ocean as our climate regulator, biodiversity and ecosystem restoration, and a truly sustainable blue economy.

It’s your chance to send your message. Throughout the session, marine policy experts from Seas At Risk and its national members will bring these themes to life, connecting them to the choices now facing the EU.

It’s a moment for you to paint, talk and discuss how you want the EU to protect the ocean.

We are the whale. It’s time to make some noise for the ocean.

📅 29 September

⌚11:45-14:00

📍European Parliament Esplanade, Brussels

This is a free event organised by Seas At Risk