EMSO ERIC Welcomes Ana Aricha and Cecilia Di Carlo as Chair and Vice Chair of the Assembly of Members

EMSO ERIC is pleased to welcome Ana Aricha as Chair and Cecilia Di Carlo as Vice Chair of its Assembly of Members, where they also serve as Heads of the Spanish and Italian delegations, respectively. The Assembly of Members is the highest decision-making body. Ana Aricha from the Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities (MICIU), has served as Chair since April 2026; while Cecilia Di Carlo, from the Italian Ministry of University and Research (MUR), took up the role of Vice Chair in July 2026.

Ana Aricha succeeds Miguel Miranda (Portugal), who served as Chair of the Assembly of Members from September 2020 to April 2026. Cecilia Di Carlo succeeds Alain Lagrange (France)as Vice Chair.

EMSO ERIC expresses its sincere gratitude to Miguel Miranda and Alain Lagrange for their leadership, commitment and contribution to cooperation among the Member Countries and to the consortium's continued development.

The Assembly of Members brings together delegates from eight Member Countries (Italy, Spain, Portugal, France, Ireland, Norway, Greece, and Romania), sets the consortium's strategic direction and adopts the decisions and work programme implemented by the Director General.

A new chapter for EMSO ERIC governance

The new leadership takes office at an important moment for EMSO ERIC. As the consortium approaches its tenth anniversary and advances its 2025-2034 strategic direction, collaborative governance will remain essential to strengthening services, fostering cooperation among Member Countries and enhancing EMSO's contribution to European and global marine science.

Working closely with the Director General, Ingrid Puillat, and the wider EMSO community, the Chair and Vice Chair will help guide this next phase, support coordination across the distributed infrastructure and reinforce EMSO ERIC's mission to provide sustained observations from the seafloor through the water column.    

Looking ahead

EMSO ERIC looks forward to working with Ana Aricha and Cecilia Di Carlo as the consortium continues to strengthen its scientific, technological and societal impact. Together with its community, EMSO ERIC will continue turning long-term ocean observations into knowledge and services for research, innovation and informed decision-making.

Background photo: The organisation's leadership - the Director General, the Chair, and the Vice-Chair, on the occasion of the latest Assembly of Members Meeting Stresa, Italy, 7-8 July 2026.

EMSO Assembly of Members meeting, Stresa, Italy, 7-8 July 2026.