Von der Leyen mission letter to new EU Commissioner for the Ocean must outline a clear, overarching strategy for a healthy ocean
Press Release Date: August 28, 2024
Location: Brussels
Contact:
Natividad Sánchez | email: nsanchez@oceana.org | tel.: +34 687 598 529
What’s happening?
As European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen is about to publish mission letters to the newly-designated EU Commissioners, Brussels-based marine NGOs (Birdlife Europe & Central Asia, ClientEarth, Oceana, Seas At Risk, Surfrider Europe, and the WWF European Policy Office) call on her to outline a clear, overarching mission to the new EU Commissioner for the Ocean to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, protect biodiversity, improve citizen health, and ensure the long-term sustainability of the ocean and the economic activities that depend on it. The NGOs’ model mission letter for the new EU Commissioner for the Ocean can be viewed here.
The European Ocean Pact, as announced by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in her Political Guidelines for the next European Commission 2024-2029, represents a promising step in the right direction for ocean protection, which should be the priority of the new EU Ocean Commissioner. The ocean must be healthy to continue supporting the livelihoods and well-being of people in the EU. Prior to the EU elections, NGOs laid out the key elements of an Ocean Deal vision and policy roadmap, centred on achieving a healthy and resilient ocean for the benefit of people and planet alike.
Why does this matter?
The European Commission President’s mission letters detail the policy portfolios that are set to be allocated to each Commissioner and outline her vision of their roles, responsibilities, and main priorities for the five years to come.
As we face the triple planetary crisis of climate change, nature loss, and pollution, the EU cannot afford to overlook the role the ocean plays in regulating the global climate system, providing nutrition, sustaining the livelihood of coastal communities and boosting economies through diverse maritime industries, and supporting our overall well-being.
EU seas are among the most intensively used marine waters in the world, and face significant threats from the cumulative impacts of increased human activities, including overfishing, pollution, and burning fossil fuels. The European Environment Agency has identified the climate risks to coastal and marine ecosystems as the most severe on the continent, demanding immediate action. Europe is already experiencing rising sea levels and record sea surface temperatures.
With the largest maritime territory in the world, more than 40% of the European population living in coastal areas, and 75% of the EU’s foreign trade volume being conducted by sea, the ocean is a vital cultural and economic asset that the EU must safeguard.
Key elements called for by ‘blue NGOs’ in von der Leyen’s letter:
- An Ocean Deal, a legally binding, ecosystem-based, overarching framework to manage all EU maritime activities, including fisheries, maritime transport, and deployment of offshore wind energy, and to achieve a healthy ocean as a matter of urgency
- An EU Ocean Fund to support the implementation of ambitious and cross-cutting ocean policies and the transition to a low-impact and sustainable blue economy
- New legislation on ocean resilience and coastal adaptation, focusing on nature-based solutions to better prepare the EU for climate-related challenges
- Ensuring the full implementation of the current Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) and the Action plan to protect and restore marine ecosystems for sustainable and resilient fisheries, as well as a just transition to low-impact fisheries
- An EU Strategy for a healthy ocean extending to 2040 that focuses on the regeneration of European seas while charting a path for the EU’s implementation of the new UN Sustainable Development Goals
- New legislation to deliver on a zero-polluted ocean, including complementary measures to prevent microplastic and chemical pollution, and the strengthening of existing measures under the Single-Use Plastics Directive
- A European Ocean and Seas Agency or cooperation mechanism for streamlined ocean data collection and open access, and regular environmental and climate reports to support better policy implementation and transboundary cooperation
The blue NGOs will organise an “Ocean Week” from 30 September to 6 October. Events during the week will include: the Blue Manifesto Launch and Ocean Lab. Aimed at EU decision-makers, these two events will expose the main challenges our ocean faces via the words of renowned scientists and experts, and will outline the necessary policy measures that must be adopted by 2030 to counter the triple crisis our ocean faces.
