Mixed Reactions to EU’s Ocean Plans

The European Commission has unveiled its European Ocean Pact but the package has met with a mixed response.

The EU calls it a “comprehensive strategy to better protect the ocean, promote a thriving blue economy and support the well-being of people living in coastal areas.”

The Pact brings together EU ocean policies under one single reference framework, addressing the significant threats facing  oceans, coastal communities, islands and outermost regions. 

EC President Ursula von der Leyen said: “Ocean is water, water is life. That is why the European Ocean Pact is so important to us. This comprehensive strategy will protect the ocean and promote a sustainable blue economy. 

It will not only benefit the planet, but also the people who call the coast their home, and the generations who will steward our oceans tomorrow.”

Reaction came from Isabella Lövin, Greens/EFA MEP and member of the  EU parliament 

Committee on Fisheries, who said, 

“The Ocean Pact is a major and important step in the right direction. A comprehensive approach to issues concerning the ocean is something we have long advocated for. What the Commission is proposing today is establishing an Ocean Act at the EU level – something we have proposed and very much welcome. We will now closely follow the work. In order to reverse the deterioration of our seas, land-based activities such as agriculture must also be included.

“It is also a breakthrough that the Commission, in this pact, places an urgent specific ‘holistic’ focus on reversing the catastrophic development in the Baltic Sea. We must now carefully ensure that these ambitions are translated into concrete action. We need to see a recovery plan for the Baltic Sea, and ministers in the member states must act in parallel and enforce radically reduced fishing quotas, especially for herring, which otherwise risks collapsing just as the cod has already done. 

“It is however worrying  that the Commission is not closing the door on reopening the Common Fisheries Policy, which risks weakening the environmental components of the regulations.”

Lövin and colleagues Rasmus Nordqvist and Mélissa Camara will attend the upcoming UN 2025 Ocean Conference in Nice (9-13 June).

However, campaigners have criticised the Pact saying it fails to set legally binding targets for protecting at least 30% of EU seas by 2030, including 10% under strict protection.

They say it also lacks a “clear plan” to phase out destructive activities in marine protected areas.

This is according to the IFAW (International Fund for Animal Welfare),  a global non-profit group.

“The Commission has missed the opportunity to put Europe’s seas on a strong, protected path – this Pact doesn’t deliver the ambition or tools we urgently need,” said Ilaria Di Silvestre, Director of Policy and Advocacy, Europe, at IFAW. “What it needs are enforceable goals, proper funding and meaningful action, not just promises.”

In a statement, the group said, “The Pact’s “Enforcement Strategy” remains vague and lacks the capacity and mechanisms needed to ensure compliance with EU ocean laws. Funding is also uncertain, putting implementation at risk.”

IFAW is also concerned about the Commission’s plan to present “a guidance document on managing predators”. 

“It is crucial to recognise that every species is an essential part of its ecosystem, and using some as scapegoats for long-term policy failures is not supported by science,”

it states.

Even so,