Ahead of the United Nations Ocean Conference (UNOC3) in June in Nice, France, more than 65 NGOs, and counting, have signed an open letter to President Von der Leyen and the College of Commissioners, urging the EU to present a far more ambitious, clearer and enforceable Oceans Pact. The Blue Manifesto, published in October 2024 by blue NGOS Birdlife International, ClientEarth, Oceana, Seas At Risk, Surfrider Foundation Europe and WWF, gives a clear, pragmatic and detailed roadmap to achieve a healthy and resilient ocean by 2030, with well-researched policy initiatives that could shape the EU’s Oceans Pact.

The letter warns that the current draft Oceans Pact fails to recognise the urgency of the degradation of the ocean, demanding the restoration of key EU ocean ecosystems as well as a just transition to a low-impact, regenerative blue economy.

• The EU must move beyond repackaging existing initiatives and deliver transformative, enforceable, and well-resourced action, restoring key marine ecosystems, supporting low-impact sectors, and phasing out destructive activities such as industrial fisheries and offshore oil and gas drilling,
• The Oceans Pact must include binding 2030 targets to protect at least 30% of EU seas, 10% of which must be under strict protection which entails zero-activities in Marine Protected Areas (MPAs),
•  Strengthen implementation and enforcement, and adopt a zero-tolerance approach to infringements of EU oceans laws,
• The Oceans Pact must have adequate and dedicated financing, partly funded by phasing out harmful subsidies,
• Ensure that civil society has a strong voice in the proposed Ocean Board and other governance structures.

• The letter demonstrates the mounting frustration on the draft proposition of the Oceans Pact and the slow progress on ocean governance,
• The EU has the tools and knowledge to become global leaders in ocean governance, with UNOC3 offering a unique moment to showcase this,
• Failure to deliver a credible Oceans Pact would not only risk the demise of the EU seas but also weaken the EU’s environmental credibility.

You can read the open letter here