Renew Europe welcomed the European Commission’s launch of the European Oceans Pact as a long-overdue strategic initiative to address the EU’s environmental, economic and security challenges at sea.
However, to succeed, the Pact must go beyond declarations and become a fully resourced, actionable framework that integrates and elevates existing EU policies while closing critical gaps.
The initiative, announced ahead of the United Nations Ocean Conference in Nice (9–13 June) which will be attended by Renew Europe MEPs, is designed to place ocean governance more firmly on the EU agenda.
Renew Europe urges the Commission and EU Member States to:
- ·Prioritise marine biodiversity protection, pollution control and enforcement of EU environmental law
- ·Align the Ocean Pact with the EU’s Climate Adaptation Strategy and ensure synergies with the Nature Restoration Law and the Marine Strategy Framework Directive
- ·Deliver a European Agenda for a Sustainable Blue Economy that drives reindustrialisation, innovation and port competitiveness
- ·Launch a Green Ports Initiative to accelerate investment in clean, automated infrastructure, including onshore power supply and hydrogen
- ·Secure Europe's maritime sovereignty and critical infrastructure through enhanced EU naval cooperation, surveillance systems and strategic use of overseas territories
- ·Support international governance and partnerships to strengthen Europe’s leadership at the UN Ocean Conference in Nice and promote binding global agreements
“The Ocean Pact cannot remain a mere declaration of intent. It must become a genuine action plan with a clear roadmap backed by financial means and with the direct involvement of stakeholders and coastal communities. The EU must assume its role as it has the world's largest maritime area and defend a major international agreement on the ocean,” said Stéphanie Yon-Courtin MEP, Vice-Chair of the European Parliament Committee on Fisheries.
“Europe’s competitiveness and quality of life hinge on the ocean both as a key climate regulator and as an avenue for trade. A system that ignores such a pillar of natural infrastructure fails to account for the true costs of inaction. Long-term stability depends on bold action today,” added Ana Vasconcelos Martins MEP (Iniciativa Liberal, PT).
Click here to read Renew Europe’s Ocean Paper.