Greens/EFA welcome the European Ocean Pact and call for concrete action
Today, the European Commission presented its European Ocean Pact. The Greens/EFA Group have long called for a comprehensive approach to issues concerning the ocean.
Isabella Lövin, Greens/EFA MEP and member of the Committee on Fisheries, comments:
"The Ocean Pact is a major and important step in the right direction. A comprehensive approach to issues concerning the ocean is something we have long advocated for. What the Commission is proposing today is establishing an Ocean Act at the EU level - something we have proposed and very much welcome. We will now closely follow the work. In order to reverse the deterioration of our seas, land-based activities such as agriculture must also be included.
“It is also a breakthrough that the Commission, in this pact, places an urgent specific ‘holistic’ focus on reversing the catastrophic development in the Baltic Sea. We must now carefully ensure that these ambitions are translated into concrete action. We need to see a recovery plan for the Baltic Sea, and ministers in the member states must act in parallel and enforce radically reduced fishing quotas, especially for herring, which otherwise risks collapsing just as the cod has already done.
“It is however worrying that the Commission is not closing the door on reopening the Common Fisheries Policy, which risks weakening the environmental components of the regulations.”
More:
Greens/EFA MEPs Isabella Lövin, Rasmus Nordqvist and Mélissa Camara will attend the UN 2025 Ocean Conference in Nice (9-13 June). Please don’t hesitate to get in touch should you wish to contact them.
