European Ocean Pact

The European Ocean Pact is presented as a critical opportunity to address the over-exploitation of Europe's marine areas, where over 90% is impacted by human activity. ClientEarth argues that the Pact must prioritize the achievement of healthy, clean, and resilient marine ecosystems over economic activities. The document outlines three strategic priorities: enhancing compliance with existing regulations like the Common Fisheries Policy, establishing legally binding targets to ensure policy coherence, and facilitating a just transition for coastal communities via an EU Ocean Fund.

• Over 90% of Europe's marine area is currently over-exploited by human activities, with additional pressures from pollution, rising temperatures, and invasive alien species.
• Previous EU strategies and action plans to protect the sea have failed to achieve meaningful progress due to fragmented governance, poor implementation, and a lack of policy coherence.
• ClientEarth proposes three strategic priorities for the European Ocean Pact: improving compliance with existing laws (specifically the Common Fisheries Policy and Nature Restoration Regulation), creating a roadmap with legally binding targets to resolve sectoral policy inconsistencies, and ensuring a just transition for coastal communities supported by an EU Ocean Fund.
• The document asserts that the ocean's health is fundamental to economic and climate stability, noting that it absorbs 90% of atmospheric CO2 and provides at least half of the oxygen humans breathe.

APA

ClientEarth (2025). European Ocean Pact. https://www.clientearth.org/latest/news/european-ocean-pact/

Chicago

ClientEarth. European Ocean Pact. 2025. https://www.clientearth.org/latest/news/european-ocean-pact/.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |author=ClientEarth |title=European Ocean Pact |date=28 March 2025 |url=https://www.clientearth.org/latest/news/european-ocean-pact/ |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{clientearth2025european, author = {{ClientEarth}}, title = {{European Ocean Pact}}, publisher = {ClientEarth}, year = {2025}, month = mar, url = {https://www.clientearth.org/latest/news/european-ocean-pact/}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }