President,

Honourable Members,

I am pleased to present the new European Ocean Pact, following its introduction by President von der Leyen at the UN Ocean Conference in Nice. I appreciate the European Parliaments contributions, which have greatly influenced this Pact.

The Ocean Pact outlines our shared vision for ocean governance and actionable policies. Here are its key aspects:

To protect our Ocean and its role as a carbon sink, the Commission will assist Member States in establishing and managing marine protected areas and enforcing environmental laws. We will also help coastal communities develop sustainable business models that benefit both nature and people through European blue carbon reserves.

To enhance the EUs blue economy, we will introduce an Industrial Maritime Strategy, an EU Port Strategy, and support offshore wind and ocean energy technologies. A Blue Generational Renewal Strategy will encourage young professionals in marine research, ocean tech, and sustainable fisheries.

Sustainable fisheries and aquaculture are central to the Ocean Pact. We will review the Common Fisheries Policy and emphasize small-scale fishers in our Vision 2040 for fisheries.

We will present strategies for the development and resilience of EU coastal communities, a new strategy for EU islands, and an updated approach for outermost regions.

The EU will launch an EU Ocean Observation Initiative supported by a European Ocean Research and Innovation Strategy and operationalize the Digital Twin of the Ocean by 2030.

To improve maritime security, we will create a strategy for removing unexploded munitions and support investments in a European drone fleet.

To enhance EU ocean diplomacy, we will promote the ratification of the BBNJ agreement and combat illegal fishing through a mandatory digital IUU catch certification scheme starting January 2026.

For meaningful implementation, we will propose an “Ocean Act” by 2027 to consolidate ocean-related targets and streamline their implementation.

Honourable members,

The UN Ocean Conference in Nice has generated momentum for ocean action. We must capitalize on this by turning our vision into action with everyones support.

Thank you, and I look forward to our debate.