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The EU has struck a new ocean pact meant to protect Europe’s coasts and “life in and around the sea”, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on Monday at the United Nations Ocean Conference in Nice.
The EU’s goal is to bring 20% of Europe’s marine ecosystems back to life by 2030, she explained.
“We will strive to cut plastic and nutrient pollution by half within five years,” von der Leyen announced, adding: “We will restore natural habitats and shelter our coasts more effectively from the impact of climate change.”
The European Commission adopted the pact last Thursday. The strategy aims to enhance ocean protection and restoration by supporting member states and revising several European laws related to maritime areas.
The EU’s executive also wants to boost the competitiveness of the maritime industry with a new strategy for the sector and a strategy for EU ports.
“Our fishers 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,” the Commission president said, announcing some grants to support small-scale fisheries.
Von der Leyen also promised that €1 billion would be allocated for 50 projects around the world for scientists and conservationists, a third of which is due to finance research and scientific projects.
The pact should lead to specific legislation that will be proposed by 2027, the Commission said.
France’s High Seas Treaty on the table
Eight years after the inaugural edition in New York, France is hosting the third United Nations Ocean Conference (UNOC3) in Nice from Monday to Friday. Around 60 countries are coming together to support the protection and restoration of ocean spaces damaged by human activity.
Unlike the United Nations’ climate change conferences, or COPs, no formal agreement can be negotiated during the UNOC3.
However, France hopes to secure as many signatures as possible for the High Seas Treaty, which requires 60 countries to ratify it for it to enter into force. The treaty aims to enable the creation of protected marine areas in international waters.
“Today, we are inches away from the 60 signatures for ratification,” von der Leyen said, announcing €40 million for the Global Ocean programme designed to strengthen protection of oceans in least developed countries.
“Please speed up ratification. Because our ocean needs us to play its part,” she added.
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