As key policymakers, scientists, and stakeholders gather at the Politico Sustainability Future Summit 2025, and discuss, amongst other matters, how the EU Oceans Pact can deliver on its ambition, a new video released today captures widespread public concern over the state of Europe’s ocean and the effectiveness of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs). Interviewees from across the continent expressed surprise that destructive activities such as bottom trawling continue to take place inside areas officially designated for nature protection. Many said they expected political leaders to ensure that MPAs deliver the level of protection their name suggests.

Bottom trawling remains one of the most widely used fishing practices in Europe, including within MPAs. Scientists have long highlighted the pressure this places on marine ecosystems, which support marine biodiversity and ocean resilience. The public reactions featured in the video reflect a growing awareness of these challenges and a strong expectation for policy action.

This concern mirrors broader public engagement across the EU: earlier this year, European Commissioner for Fisheries and Oceans Costas Kadis received a petition signed by 250,000 citizens calling for an end to bottom trawling within these areas and to align with international standards. So far, however, no action has been taken at EU level to address this issue.

At the same time, NGOs have recently taken the governments to court  at national level in Germany, Sweden, Spain and the Netherlands, while Client Earth, Seas At Risk and Oceana  filed an EU-level complaint this summer with the European Commission, pointing to systemic shortcomings in how Member States are applying existing EU environmental law in terms of MPAs. NGOs are urging the European Commission to ensure that the rules already in place are properly applied in all Member States. 

These developments come at a time when the European Commission is preparing an Ocean Act, intended to strengthen the framework for protecting marine ecosystems and supporting coastal communities. This is an opportunity for the EU to finally protect MPAs, particularly against destructive activities, and ensure they can better support coastal communities including fishers. The EU can become a global ocean leader by enshrining legal objectives to protect 30% of EU seas by 2030, with 10% of these areas placed under stricter forms of conservation, in the Ocean Act.

The new ocean legislation could play a key role in promoting a fair and well-designed transition that supports fishers and coastal communities using more resilient and low-impact practices. Citizens expect MPAs to deliver tangible ecological benefits and to contribute to a more sustainable future.

Tatiana Nuño. Senior Marine Policy Officer, at Seas At Risk, said: “Europe’s seas are in crisis, and with them our shared future. As the public increasingly calls for real protection at sea, EU leaders have a clear responsibility to act. The upcoming Ocean Act is a crucial opportunity to ensure that Marine Protected Areas deliver the protection their name promises, by banning destructive activities like bottom trawling within their boundaries and to ensure a just transition for fishers and coastal communities towards a sustainable blue economy that respects both people and the planet. This is a moment the EU cannot afford to miss”.

Nicolas Fournier, Campaign Director for marine protection at Oceana in Europe, said: “Marine Protected Areas are a key tool to support low-impact fishers by creating areas dedicated for their activities where they can develop and thrive without industrial fishing detrimentally affecting their livelihoods. We urge the European Commission to seize the opportunity of the future Ocean Act to ensure true protection of these areas, not only for ocean health, but importantly to help low-impact fishers in the transition of the sector”

John Condon, Senior Lawyer at ClientEarth, said: “Rightly so, European citizens expect Marine Protected Areas to actually mean protection – not just lines on a map. Important conservation laws are designed to ensure that destructive activities, such as bottom trawling, don’t take place in these supposed sanctuaries. The European Commission should take heed of their voices and make sure these laws are fully respected and enforced.”

Posted on: 2 December 2025