The EU launches the European Pact for Oceans with goals for restoration, sustainable fishing, and billions in investment.

Nice (France), June 9 (EFEverde).- At the Ocean Summit held in Nice, the European Union launched the new European Pact for the Oceans, which seeks to establish a common framework for all maritime and ocean conservation policies. At the same time, the EU announced a €1 billion investment in ocean conservation and research projects around the world.

"We are presenting the first European Ocean Pact, a European vision for ocean governance combined with concrete political actions," said European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, presenting this pact, which had been previously announced by European Commissioner for Fisheries and Oceans Costas Kadis.

With this pact, the EU commits to "protecting the health of the oceans and their resources" with measures such as halving plastic and nutrient pollution within five years.

And also to restore natural and coastal habitats, with the goal of restoring 20% ​​of European marine ecosystems by 2030, "in order to store even more carbon dioxide and better protect our coastal communities from extreme weather events, as the risks are increasing significantly," von der Leyen noted.

Support for coastal communities and sustainable fishing

The Pact also aims to support the maritime development of coastal communities, as in some cases climate change and adverse weather conditions have forced them to abandon their homes.

"So we will channel subsidies toward community resilience projects and support small-scale fisheries as a priority," said the EC President, adding that they also want to modernize the EU fishing fleet and decarbonize it.

Kadis asserted that the EU needs this pact because "our oceans are seriously threatened by the impacts of climate change and the overexploitation of marine resources, and these challenges require action."

For his part, French President Emmanuel Macron noted that the "European pact has a prescriptive effect on moving forward and definitively changing the future of our oceans."

One billion euro investment in conservation and research

At the same time, the EU announced today a €1 billion investment in ocean conservation and research through 50 projects worldwide.

"We want to build a strong global partnership for the ocean, because the fight to promote and protect our ocean is a global challenge," said the European leader, adding that "there is a funding gap to support ocean conservation, science, and sustainable fisheries."

Thus, the goal is to invest "in those who live off the sea and in the scientists and conservationists who seek to protect it," according to von der Leyen, who noted that these projects will help "promote sustainable fishing in Tanzania, regenerate mangroves and their natural supply chains in Guyana, and protect the coral and seagrass meadows that support 20% of the world's fish populations."

Europe as a benchmark for ocean science

A third of these billion euros will go to "research and scientific projects," the EC president assured, which Macron considered important in a context in which the US is halting funding.

"Europe has a lot to do to fund research. The US has done a lot in this area, and we Europeans need to look at all these strategies to get involved," Macron said, adding that Europe must welcome researchers in the US whose research is at risk, but also ensure that existing data from long-term studies is preserved.

For his part, the President of the European Council, António Costa, also advocated turning Europe into "a global scientific center for ocean knowledge, climate action, and digital maritime security." EFE