On Friday 15 March, the European Commission adopted a positive joint report on progress towards improving the framework for international ocean governance.
Since the European Union adopted its ocean governance agenda in 2016, it has intensified its activity on oceans, according to the report, which states that “all 50 of its actions have been successfully implemented” (some have already been delivered, while work on a number of others will continue beyond 2019). The agenda has triggered international cooperation across all continents and under all three pillars of the ocean governance agenda.
As part of the European Union's development policy, €590 million have been committed to promote better ocean governance with third partners and more than €500 million has been allocated to marine research under the Horizon 2020 programme.
Since 2016, the Union has been engaged in a process of moving from a sectoral approach to an integrated approach, to ensure that “the oceans are safe, secure, clean, healthy and managed in a sustainable manner”.
The EU programme is an integral part of the EU's response to the United Nations 2030 Agenda, particularly Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 14 on the conservation and sustainable use of the oceans. To read the report, go to: https://bit.ly/2Hl9KmB. (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)