On Tuesday 1 September, 61 organisations, led by Seas At Risk, called on European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to make the future European Ocean Act an “opportunity to change course” for Europe’s seas.
In a letter, they call for an “ambitious” and binding framework, given that the European Ocean Act relies in particular on the revision of two key texts on the marine environment and maritime planning.
The NGOs emphasise the poor state of Europe’s seas, which are facing overfishing, pollution, habitat degradation and climate change. They specifically request that the future legislation be adopted in the form of a regulation, with a European objective of achieving “good environmental status” for European waters.
They also want all European policies, particularly those related to fisheries, energy and transport, to be subject to a principle of preserving ocean health.
The organisations are advocating in particular for preferential access to coastal areas for low-impact small-scale fisheries and better protection of Marine Protected Areas.
Link to the letter: https://aeur.eu/f/n7m (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)