And it was said this morning several times: The ocean is our ally, and it is our greatest friend when it comes to preserving the health of our planet and of Mother Nature that we live in. And if this is true, then the opposite is also true. If we neglect the Ocean, if we treat it without respect, it will turn against us. And the vast ocean forces that helped our civilisation to grow will start to threaten us. We can already see the first impacts: Ever more violent storms ravage our coasts. Our coastal communities struggle to make a living from the sea. And there are new elements: Naval power politics has returned, with hostile fleets and war games on the high seas and shadow fleets. On all these fronts, Europe must think like a maritime continent and behave like a maritime power. We must make sure that the Ocean remains our ally.
That is why I am very proud and very grateful that today we can present the first European Ocean Pact. It is our common European vision of ocean governance combined with concrete policy action. Commissioner Kadis will present the details of the Pact, but let me mention some of the most important goals. First: We need to protect ocean health and its resources. I mean, we often speak about the fact that the rainforests are our green lungs. If this is the case, our oceans are our veins and arteries. We cannot live without them. And everything which is flowing through our arteries and our veins, the water, is essential to survive. The Ocean gives us life, so the Pact will protect life in and around the sea. And for me it is important that there are not only nice headlines, this also is important to have a clear idea and vision, but we all know: Only what gets measured gets done.
We need targets, figures, goals that we want to reach. We will strive to cut plastic and nutrient pollution by half within five years, this can be reached, we should make this effort. We will restore natural habitats and shelter our coasts more effectively from the impact of climate change. Our goal is to bring 20% of Europe’s marine ecosystems back to life by 2030. Speaking of an ally, bringing back to life, it is so necessary, it is so crucial because the ocean is storing CO2. So we need to enable the ocean to store even more CO2. This is, as I said, our best ally to better shield our coastal communities from extreme weather events. So, what we have to do is turn a vicious cycle that we are experiencing right now into a virtuous cycle. And actually, it is possible.
At the same time, the European Ocean Pact will promote economic growth for our coastal communities, that is my second point. Our fishermen and fisherwomen work tirelessly to feed us, day and night, in all conditions. Yet extreme weather and unfair competition are pushing too many of them out of business. This has to change. They should again be the custodians of our oceans. No young European who grows up beside the sea should be forced to leave their home. So we will channel 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 make it easier to renew small fishing vessels, especially in more remote regions.
In addition, the Ocean Pact will help our fishing fleets to modernise and decarbonise. Of course, it is absolutely rational to decarbonise our fishing fleets if we want our ally, the Ocean, to store CO2 and not to be impacted by pollution any longer. We will foster a skilled next-generation workforce, and level the playing field with our international competitors. The Pact will also help coastal communities to build new business models that benefit both nature and people. All of this will help us to produce at least half of our marine food right here in Europe, because fishers and coastal communities are part of the global struggle to conserve fish stocks. And we know that this is getting harder and tougher by the day. Not only because of climate change but also because of illegal, unreported and unregulated activities. This is killing our marine ecosystems. We have to do something against it. This is our task. That is why Europe is taking a zero-tolerance approach to illegal practices.
We want to stop the criminals moving between neighbouring countries. To achieve this, we will develop regional partnerships in the Mediterranean, in western Africa and the Pacific. In Europe, we will use our digital registration of fish catches to help prevent illegally caught fish from coming into the European Union. And we have a fantastic satellite system to check who is illegally fishing outside the allowed zones. We have Copernicus. We have the proof. We can use it. And with the digital components we have – I just visited the Digital Twin, it is amazing what we can to with that – we can crack down on this illegal fishing that destroys our ecosystems. Together with the support of our Member States and reflecting that – we can build viable blue economies and restore the balance between humanity and the sea.
And finally, we have only one ocean and one planet. So as a maritime power, we Europeans must look beyond our own shores. Which brings me to my third and final point.
We want to build a strong global alliance for the Ocean, because the fight to promote and protect our Ocean is a global challenge. As the declaration from this Conference makes very clear, there is a funding shortfall to support ocean conservation, science and sustainable fishing. So, I am delighted, proud and grateful to announce today that Europe is investing EUR 1 billion in 50 projects around the world. EUR 1 billion in projects for those who make a living from the sea. We will invest in scientists and conservationists who seek to protect it. We will help to promote sustainable fishing in Tanzania, regenerate mangrove forests and their natural supply chains in Guyana and protect the coral and seagrass which sustain 20% of global fish stocks. Knowledge is one of the most powerful tools for ocean conservation, so one-third of the EUR 1 billion in funding announced today is targeted for research and scientific projects.
This is very dear to my heart. This morning at the plenary session, I announced Europe’s new Ocean Observation Initiative. This will give us vital data about the ocean – we have this data, but we have to process, accumulate, read, use them, using thousands of sensors from around the world. Thanks to newest technologies and data collection, like our Digital Twin, it will enable us to make very accurate predictions about the ocean. So, we can show what is happening. We can model different scenarios, we can prove how action will impact the oceans – for better or worse. That is a completely new level of scientific approach to the knowledge about the Ocean. And we will share our research with our partners, because Europe believes that knowledge on 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.
Ladies and Gentlemen, This is an important day for the Ocean. We now have a clear vision on how to protect our seas, our fishermen and fisherwomen and our coastal communities. We now must turn that vision into action. It is good to have a vision, it is good to have it on paper. I want to see it on the ground. I want to see it as true action. It is time to turn the tide and make our Ocean thrive again. Thank you very much for your support. And thank you very much for your attention.
Source: European Commission
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