Newly elected and re-elected MEPs will begin their mandate in Brussels, where they will form the European Parliament’s committees before a well-deserved summer break. They may wind down somewhere by the coast or enjoy a mocktail on the beach.
As they navigate the busy corridors and currents of parliamentary sessions, do the EU’s new policymakers sense the profound environmental changes simmering beneath the surface?
The European Environment Agency has declared the risks to coastal and marine ecosystems the most serious for the continent, signalling the highest urgency to take action. Europe is already experiencing sea level rise and record heat, with the three warmest years since 2020.
European sea surface temperatures, which rose by up to 5.5°C above average last year, are not just a concern for the coast; the impacts extend far beyond the coastline and the millions of people employed in the EU’s blue economy. For example, human health and food supply chains are being affected across the continent.
Yet there is a lack of decisive action to mitigate or adapt. Given that the combined marine areas of the EU Member States constitute the largest maritime area on earth, this lack of action is almost absurd.
Putting aside what we hold dear
It’s easy to take the ocean for granted. We marvel at the beauty of its colorful plants and charismatic animals in countless documentaries, indulge in the bounty of seafood delicacies that seemingly never leave store shelves or menus no matter how far inland we travel, seek solace on its tranquil shores in the summer, and experience an inexplicable sense of reconciliation as we bathe in a sunrise or sunset on the horizon.
Behind these postcard moments lies a complex web of life that sustains creatures both underwater and on land.
The ocean is home to 80% of all life on our planet, produces half of all oxygen, regulates the climate, absorbs more than 90% of the heat created by our emissions, and is a vital source of food and livelihood for nearly half of the world’s population.
Despite its undeniable importance, the ocean remains largely overlooked in EU policymaking and public awareness. Marine issues are often sidelined in policy debates and environmental agendas; multiple institutional bodies and parliamentary committees have to revise laws in the absence of decision-making authorities for the ocean; and blue conservation efforts remain far underfunded and fragmented compared to their green counterparts.
The EU has two faces: it is a global ocean power, but it lacks a comprehensive political vision on marine issues.
Recently, European leaders agreed to the EU’s strategic plan for the coming years, in which they promise to protect nature and reverse the destruction of ecosystems, including our ocean. This commitment looks promising on paper, but how will they put it into practice?
An ecosystem-based approach to policy making
The numbers are clear: Europe is on the brink of irreparable damage to the world’s largest ecosystem. With its demise, we lose the shared resources we depend on for food, defense and climate mitigation. Fundamental change is urgently needed.
An overarching legal framework that ensures greater coherence between existing and new fisheries, transport, conservation and restoration, energy and sustainable tourism policies, and that looks beyond maritime activities – an Ocean Deal – could make a real difference.
Just as there is one ocean, it is time that the EU’s various maritime policies are treated from a single perspective, while better reflecting the interactions between land and sea. Specifically, we need an ecosystem-based approach to policymaking: one that puts nature at its heart and prioritizes the rights of future generations to a clean and healthy ocean.
By taking into account the diverse perspectives of all stakeholders across sectors, communities, academia and civil society, and by paying due attention to the cumulative impacts of our activities on land and at sea (for good and bad), more effective and equitable strategies can emerge.
This will safeguard the health, livelihoods, food security and well-being of EU citizens in a fair and equitable way. We need an ambitious ocean agenda that helps both societies and ecosystems adapt and recover in a changing climate.
Our planet’s largest ecosystem deserves it
The bottom line is that the resilience of the ocean is inextricably linked to our own resilience. If we neglect it, we are doing ourselves and all other life forms on Earth a disservice.
As the primary steward of the largest ecosystem on the planet, the EU urgently needs a proactive blue approach to climate action to halt the decline of marine life and protect its blue economy.
As EU citizens’ elected policymakers in Brussels depart, it is imperative that they recognise the crucial role the ocean plays for our well-being – both physically and economically – and establish it as a strategic and political priority.
Adopting an Ocean Deal is not just an option. It is an urgent necessity to protect our blue planet, deliver socio-economic stability and secure a prosperous future for generations to come.
Dr Antonia Leroy is Head of EU Ocean Policy at the World Wildlife Fund (WWF).
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