Brussels – Europe will invest €1 billion in 50 projects worldwide for marine sustainability. This was announced by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in Nice, during the event to present the EU Pact for the Oceans, on the sidelines of the UN Oceans Conference. “We want to build a strong global ocean alliance, because the fight to promote and protect our ocean is a global challenge,” the president said. And given that “there is a funding gap to support ocean conservation, science, and sustainable fisheries, I am delighted, proud and grateful to announce today that Europe will invest €1 billion in 50 projects around the world: €1 billion in projects for those who live from the sea, we will invest in scientists and conservationists who are committed to protecting it”.
Projects will range from promoting sustainable fisheries in Tanzania to regenerating mangrove forests and their natural supply chains in Guyana, and protecting corals and underwater seagrass beds that support 20 per cent of global fish stocks. In particular, since “knowledge is one of the most powerful tools for ocean conservation,” one-third of the billion euros will go to research and scientific projects. And “this is very close to my heart,” she specified. This is in addition to the new European Ocean Observation Initiative, also announced this morning by von der Leyen, which “will provide vital data on the oceans and, thanks to the latest technologies and data collection, such as our Digital Twin, will allow us to make very accurate predictions about the oceans.” A ‘new’ scientific approach whose results Europe will share with its partners because “Europe believes that knowledge about the state of our planet should be shared and made available. And Europe believes in the freedom of science, which is so precious for all of us,” the president pressed, almost as if to underline the distance with Donald Trump’s US.
The President recalled what the sea means to the Old Continent: 70,000 kilometres of coastline, one in five Europeans living on the coast, food, “an endless supply of clean energy”, connections and trade, climate mitigation and an ally in the fight against global warming. “The ocean is our ally, but if we neglect it, if we treat it without respect, it will turn against us,” she said, pointing out that “the first impacts” are visible. From the increasingly violent storms that “devastate our coasts” to the coastal communities that “struggle to survive thanks to the sea.” And these elements are compounded by the return of “naval power politics, with hostile fleets, high seas warfare exercises and shadow fleets.” For von der Leyen, “on all these fronts, Europe must think like a maritime continent and behave like a maritime power. We must ensure that the ocean remains our ally.”
This is the backdrop to the European Pact for the Oceans in which “we will commit to halve plastic and nutrient pollution within five years, this target is achievable”; “restore natural habitats and protect our coasts more effectively from the impact of climate change: our goal is to restore 20 per cent of Europe’s marine ecosystems to life by 2030” and “enable the ocean to store even more CO2”.
The second point of the pact is the promotion of economic growth in coastal communities. “We will allocate grants to community resilience projects and support small-scale fisheries as a priority. We will work with Member States to ensure fair and transparent access to fishing opportunities and facilitate the renewal of small fishing vessels,” von der Leyen described.
And the pact will help fishing fleets “modernise and decarbonise” so that “the ocean stores CO2 and no longer suffers the impact of pollution”. Brussels also aims to promote “a new generation of skilled workforce” and to ensure “a level playing field with our international competitors,” including a ‘zero tolerance’ approach against illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing activities.
English version by the Translation Service of Withub
