On Tuesday 3 June, the S&D Group in the European Parliament said that it was time to seize the opportunity of a truly ambitious ‘Oceans Pact’, or ‘Blue Pact’, to restore marine environments (see EUROPE 13646/11).
“We need new tools for governance”, argued Christophe Clergeau (S&D, French) during a meeting with journalists. He denounced a lack of “transnational cooperation” at the level of maritime basins within the EU. Furthermore, he said that the EU does not have the right instruments to manage the oceans in an integrated way, in order to reconcile ecological restoration, the development of the blue economy and the sustainability of fishing activities.
The EU has rules on maritime spatial planning, as well as the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (aiming to achieve good environmental status by 2020). However, these two tools “are neither coherent nor coordinated”, regretted Christophe Clergeau. “There is no effective management of the seas at local, national or transnational level. This is why we are calling for a revision of the Maritime Spatial Planning Directive and the Marine Framework Directive”, he explained.
Does this ‘Blue Pact’ have a real future? “We have an opportunity because Ursula von der Leyen, President of the Commission, has put this issue on the agenda. It is intended to mobilise the EPP political family in support of an ambitious pact”, said Mr Clergeau. He added that Ms von der Leyen seemed personally committed, as did the Commissioner for Fisheries and Oceans, Costas Kadis.
He acknowledged that the EPP, as a group, might seem “weak” on this issue, but that the perception was different at national level. Many Member States, he pointed out, understand the direct effects of ocean degradation on coastal activities, sustainable tourism, fishing and aquaculture. For example, “the quality of coastal waters and the land-sea interface is becoming a key issue in many European cities and regions”, said Mr Clergeau.
Fishing, a strategic sector? André Rodrigues (S&D, Portuguese) called for a clear commitment to fishers and coastal communities as part of the pact. He stressed that fishing should be a strategic pillar of the Blue Pact, in particular through the involvement of professionals in the management of marine protected areas and the mobilisation of European funds to help achieve environmental objectives.
He recalled that the objectives had already been defined: to protect at least 30% of the national maritime territory, including 10% under strict protection. For him, concrete action is now needed to achieve them through effective management plans.
“We should aim for a higher level of protection within marine protected areas”, said Mr Rodrigues, in favour of a ban on bottom trawling in these areas. Mr Clergeau pointed out that this was an official position of the S&D group on bottom trawling. “We need to ban it where it is invasive and destructive, take new technologies into account and initiate a specific discussion for each marine protected area”, he stressed.
On 22 May, the Commission published its 2025 report on the EU’s Blue Economy, cited by Mr Clergeau. In 2022, the Blue Economy directly employed 4.82 million people, generated almost €890 billion in sales and represented €250.7 billion in gross value added (GVA). (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)