On Monday 31 March, French President Emmanuel Macron presented eight objectives to be achieved at the United Nations Ocean Conference (UNOC 3), to be held in Nice, France, from 9 to 13 June.
At an ‘SOS Ocean’ meeting in Paris to prepare for the UN conference in Nice, Mr Macron began by insisting on ratification of the High Seas Treaty. As of 31 March 2025, only 21 countries had ratified this treaty. “So there is still a great deal of work to be done over the next few weeks”, said the French President, who hopes to achieve 60 ratifications to ensure the entry into force of the ‘BBNJ’ (see EUROPE 13608/8).
“We must achieve this result, and I call on all States, whether coastal or non-coastal, to make possible the sustainable management of the high seas and their resources” through the creation of marine protected areas and environmental impact studies.
The second objective is sustainable fishing. Mr Macron insisted on the need for better protection of the seabed, particularly in marine protected areas, and on continuing the fight against illegal fishing.
The third objective is to protect 30% of the oceans by 2030, “but we’re a long way from that”, conceded Mr Macron, citing a current figure of 8.5%. He called on countries to announce new marine protected areas in Nice. “Let’s set ourselves the goal of achieving 12% protection of our exclusive economic zones, and even 15% by UNOC 3”.
Decarbonising maritime transport is also an objective, and he said he was awaiting the outcome of negotiations within the International Maritime Organization (IMO). The fifth objective is to combat plastic pollution, and the sixth is to mobilise new funding for a sustainable blue economy.
The seventh objective is to combat climate change.
A ‘reciprocity pact’. Mr Macron mentioned the ‘European Oceans Pact’, which will be presented by EU representatives in Nice on 9 June (the European Commission will adopt it on 4 June). The French President spoke of a “reciprocity pact for our fishermen, who must find legitimate protection in the face of competition from products that do not respect sustainability criteria”.
The eighth issue is the defence of science. “We are living at a time when many major powers are stopping their funding of public research bodies and questioning the veracity of scientifically established results”, said the French President on the subject of American actions.
On the subject of the moratorium on deep-sea mining, he concluded that there is insufficient knowledge at this stage to “endorse a mining code”.
“We have played a decisive role in concluding the Treaty on the High Seas. It is now time to proceed with its ratification and implementation”, declared the President of the European Council, António Costa (https://aeur.eu/f/g64 ; in French). (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)