A new Blue Manifesto assessment by leading environmental NGOs finds that the EU is significantly off track to achieve a healthy ocean by 2030, with a growing gap between its strong international ocean leadership and action at home. While the EU has made progress internationally, including ratifying the BBNJ Agreement and maintaining its opposition to deep-sea mining, it continues to allow destructive fishing practices, struggles to tackle pollution, risks weakening nature protections and overlooks the ocean’s critical role in regulating the climate. The coalition is calling for stronger enforcement of existing laws, including the Nature Restoration Law and Common Fisheries Policy, and says upcoming decisions on the European Ocean Act, marine legislation and the next EU budget provide a crucial opportunity to change course and restore Europe’s ocean health.

Posted on: 2 October 2026

• Blue Manifesto
• Clean ocean
• Climate and ocean
• Low impact fisheries
• Ocean governance
• Rewilding the ocean