The European Ocean Pact is a comprehensive strategy designed to better protect the ocean by unifying and coordinating the European Union’s policies and actions related to marine management. It aims to foster a thriving blue economy while supporting the well-being of people living in coastal communities.
It is built around six priorities:
- Restoring ocean health and productivity
- Boosting the sustainable competitiveness of the blue economy
- Supporting coastal and island communities
- Advancing ocean research, knowledge, and innovation
- Enhancing maritime security and resilience
- Strengthening EU Ocean diplomacy and international ocean governance
Why the ocean matters
The ocean is the foundation of life on Earth and provides a wide range of resources, benefits and services. The ocean is critical for food security, energy production, and data. It is crucial for the prosperity and competitiveness of the EU blue economy.
With the world’s largest collective maritime area, about 70,000 km coastline and 40% of its population living within 50 km of the sea, the EU has a critical interest in maritime matters.
Protecting and restoring ocean health – pressures on the ocean harm marine ecosystems and biodiversity, affect coastal communities, fisheries and other sea-based activities.
Areas of action
To support Member States to restore degraded coastal and marine habitats, the European Ocean Pact proposes to:
- Evaluate and revise the Maritime Spatial Planning Directive
- Encourage Member States to establish and manage marine protected areas
- Create European blue carbon reserves
The EU will strengthen its ocean diplomacy to protect the ocean, promote EU interests and values, and advance multilateral cooperation. This will help create a fairer international playing field, benefiting both EU fisheries and global sustainability.
Under this strategic priority, the European Ocean Pact proposes to:
- Develop a strategic approach to EU fisheries external action, including a new generation of Sustainable Fisheries Partnership Agreements
- Step up the fight against Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) fishing through the mandatory implementation of IT CATCH, the digitalisation of the IUU catch certification scheme, as of January 2026. This will help to prevent IUU fishery products from entering the EU market.
- Encourage the swift ratification and implementation of the Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction Agreement and support its implementation in developing countries through the €40 million contribution to the Global Ocean Programme
- amplify the work to conclude an ambitious Plastics Treaty to curb ocean pollution
- Negotiate the designation of three vast marine protected areas in the Southern Ocean to conserve Antarctica’s unique and pristine marine ecosystems and biodiversity
- Support the entry into force and implementation of phase 1 of World Trade Organisation agreement on banning harmful fisheries subsidies and conclude negotiations of phase 2
- Pilot an International Platform for Ocean Sustainability (IPOS)
