BLUE MANIFESTO THE ROADMAP TO A HEALTHY OCEAN

The 2021 progress assessment of the Blue Manifesto reveals that most targets are not being met, with only one of eight 2021 milestones on track for full completion. The report highlights significant gaps in the implementation of Maritime Spatial Plans, the failure to eliminate bycatch of sensitive species, and a general lack of ambition in the Council of Ministers regarding fisheries control. While some progress is noted in the EU's Emissions Trading System and international biodiversity negotiations, the overall outcome for 2020 was revised to be more negative, indicating that current EU efforts are insufficient to meet the ambitions of the EU Green Deal and Biodiversity Strategy 2030.

• Of the eight milestones established for 2021, only one is considered on track to be fully met, while two are on track to be at least partially delivered. Three milestones were not met, and two showed insufficient progress to receive an indicative score.
• The 2020 milestones were reassessed in 2021, resulting in a more negative overall outcome than previously reported; only two were fully achieved, six were partly achieved, and four were not achieved.
• Implementation of Maritime Spatial Plans is lagging, with only six of 22 coastal EU Member States meeting the March 31, 2021, deadline. Analysis of eight countries showed that most prioritize economic interests over biodiversity and climate targets, and only the Netherlands has designated at least 10% of its seas as strictly protected.
• Progress on eliminating the bycatch of sensitive species is described as slow and very limited. For example, 90% of the actions in the 2012 EU Action Plan for reducing incidental catches of seabirds have either not been implemented or only partially implemented.
• The EU's approach to deep seabed mining is contradictory; while the Biodiversity Strategy 2030 advocates for precautionary measures, the Commission's 2021 Strategic Foresight Report announced plans to increase deep-sea mining exploration to secure raw materials.
• The EU has made progress in integrating maritime transport into its Emissions Trading System (ETS) as part of the 'Fit for 55' package to achieve a 55% reduction in net greenhouse gas emissions by 2030.

APA

Kingma, I., & Absil, C. (2022). BLUE MANIFESTO THE ROADMAP TO A HEALTHY OCEAN. ClientEarth. https://www.clientearth.org/media/cq2kobhj/blue-manifesto-assessment-2021_full-report_june2022.pdf

Chicago

Kingma, Irene, and Christine Absil. BLUE MANIFESTO THE ROADMAP TO A HEALTHY OCEAN. ClientEarth, 2022. https://www.clientearth.org/media/cq2kobhj/blue-manifesto-assessment-2021_full-report_june2022.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Kingma |first1=Irene |last2=Absil |first2=Christine |title=BLUE MANIFESTO THE ROADMAP TO A HEALTHY OCEAN |publisher=ClientEarth |date=June 2022 |url=https://www.clientearth.org/media/cq2kobhj/blue-manifesto-assessment-2021_full-report_june2022.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{kingma2022blue, author = {Kingma, Irene and Absil, Christine}, title = {{BLUE MANIFESTO THE ROADMAP TO A HEALTHY OCEAN}}, institution = {ClientEarth}, year = {2022}, month = jun, url = {https://www.clientearth.org/media/cq2kobhj/blue-manifesto-assessment-2021_full-report_june2022.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }