Today the European Commission published its second implementation report on the Maritime Spatial Planning Directive (MSPD), a key step towards the upcoming Ocean Act.  Seas At Risk warns that persistent challenges highlighted in the European Commission’s  (1) expose a deeper gap in EU ocean governance.

As the Commission acknowledges, while the assessed Directive has led to the adoption of maritime spatial plans across Europe, it has not demonstrably delivered on the EU’s environmental objectives. Despite the law’s requirement to apply an ecosystem-based approach, in practice the marine environment is still treated as just another sectoral interest, rather than the foundation upon which all blue economic activities depend.

 

Weak coherence between EU ocean policies (2) has contributed to the continued degradation of marine ecosystems. Instead of prioritising ocean health, current governance has often facilitated the expansion of competing maritime sectors, increasing pressure on already overexploited seas.

 

Looking ahead, Seas At Risk emphasises that the forthcoming EU Ocean Act (3) represents a critical window of opportunity to address this systemic failure, but only if it goes beyond a simple revision of the Directive (4).

 

“The Commission’s assessment strengthens concerns that maritime spatial planning alone cannot make Europe’s seas healthy, and without healthy seas there is no resilient blue economy. EU ocean governance is still fragmented, and that is holding back the recovery of marine ecosystems”, said Dr. Monica Verbeek, Executive Director of Seas At Risk, adding: “The Ocean Act must not become a rebranded version of the current Maritime Spatial Planning Directive. It must be a standalone, overarching Regulation that puts ocean health at the centre of all decision-making and guarantees the transition to a low-impact blue economy. A true game changer to move from fragmented governance to a coherent ocean future.” 

 

Unlike Directives which allow for uneven national implementation, a Regulation would  guarantee immediate, uniform enforcement across the EU. (5) This approach aligns with growing calls within the EU institutions, including by the European Council (6) and Commission Vice-President Stéphane Séjourné, to ensure more consistent implementation and avoid fragmentation. In this context, there is a growing preference for greater use of Regulations as the default instrument, and Directives as the exception.

 

NOTES

  1. Report from the Commission to the European Parliament and the Council outlining the progress made in implementing Directive 2014/89/EU establishing a framework for maritime spatial planning second report
  2. The European Environment Agency and European Commission have repeatedly confirmed that Good Environmental Status (GES) – the central goal of the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD) – has not been achieved in any of Europe’s regional seas. Lack of policy coherence, fragmented governance, insufficient financing and poor implementation and enforcement of the EU’s ocean-related policies have hampered progress. Marine management remains divided between sectoral policies – fisheries, energy, transport, raw material extraction, environment – each operating under separate governance frameworks and leaderships, objectives, timelines, and reporting cycles.
  3. In June 2025, the Ocean Pact articulated a shared political vision of “a regenerative blue economy that restores the ocean while fostering development, social inclusion and equity. ” The Pact recognised the ocean’s vital role in Europe’s climate stability, food security, and economic resilience – but also that its health cannot be taken for granted. It also announced the creation of an Ocean Act, to ensure a holistic policy framework across all policy areas. NGOs’ position paper: Ocean Act position paper: Europe’s Ocean Regulation
  4. The Ocean Pact announced that the Commission would present an Ocean Act building on the revision of the MSPD aimed at strengthening and modernising maritime spatial planning. However, to live up to the ambitions of the Ocean Pact of restoring ocean health and transitioning to a low impact blue economy, a truly transformative governance framework going beyond the MSPD and encompassing all relevant EU legislation is needed.
  5. A Regulation ensures direct applicability and consistent implementation across all Member States. The European Climate Law and Nature Restoration Regulation can provide inspiration for this and set a precedent for overarching governance, while respecting Member States prerogative implemented through national plans. Joint NGOs’ position paper on the EU Ocean Act. 
  6. See: European Council Conclusions: 19th March 2026: european-council-conclusions

 

 

Posted on: 29 April 2026