Seas and oceans, which have shaped our planet since their earliest moments, are now the foundation of life and a key to maintaining the natural balance. They are an inexhaustible source of oxygen, home to billions of organisms, and protectors of the climate upon which the future of humanity depends. However, despite this immense value, their resources have been depleted, and their ecosystems have been brought to the brink of collapse. It is precisely in this context that, as part of the European Ocean Week, Sunce traveled to Brussels to participate in discussions that could shape the future of our seas.
Seas At Risk network assembly
Sunce’s Executive Director Gabrijela Medunić-Orlić and Associate Lawyer Ksenija Adžić, besides participating in European Ocean Week activities, met with Croatian Members of the European Parliament and attended the Seas At Risk network assembly, of which Sunce is a member, on September 30, 2024.
This network brings together 33 environmental organizations within the European Union, whose work is focused on marine protection. Through joint efforts, Seas At Risk aims to ensure that marine life in our seas and oceans is abundant, diverse, and resilient to climate change, and that it is not threatened by human activities.
As an umbrella organization, Seas At Risk plays a strong advocacy role in promoting marine protection policies at the European and international levels, which Sunce and other organizations might not be able to reach as easily. With more than 30 years of experience and headquartered in Brussels, Seas At Risk has strong connections with European institutions, the UN, and regional bodies responsible for seas and oceans, as well as with other like-minded organizations in Europe and worldwide.
In preparation for the network’s annual assembly, we participated in advocacy workshops aimed at EU and national public policymakers. The thematic workshops were designed in a way that grouped network members according to their areas of interest, providing an excellent insight into the potential for future cooperation in joint projects with network members.
Blue Manifesto
European Ocean Week took place from September 30 to October 6, 2024, during which the Blue Manifesto was presented at the European Parliament. This action plan, proposing clear steps to initiate meaningful change regarding the restoration and protection of seas and oceans, was developed through the joint engagement of non-governmental organizations.
To recall, back in January 2020, over 100 organizations, led by six NGOs—BirdLife Europe, ClientEarth, Oceana, Seas At Risk, Surfrider Foundation Europe, and WWF—created the Blue Manifesto, an action plan with detailed measures that need to be adopted within the EU to ensure successful coastal and marine ecosystems by 2030.
Some key goals include improving the state of European seas and oceans (by reducing pollution from plastic, chemicals, and noise), sustainable use of marine resources, sustainable fishing, reducing the harmful impact of the maritime industry on the environment (oil drilling, offshore wind farms), and lessening tourism pressures. According to the EU Biodiversity Strategy for 2030, each EU member state must contribute to establishing a network of effective protected areas covering 30% of the sea and 30% of the land; of the total percentage, 10% of the sea and 10% of the land must be strictly protected. EU member states have not only failed to achieve the set goals but have reached alarming figures. It is devastating that EU member states are very far from achieving the specified percentages of protected areas, even this 30%, not to mention this 10% of strict protection. Only 2 countries in the Mediterranean-Black Sea basin have made proposals (pledges) for the establishment of these 30% protected areas.
Since member states have not met the goals set in 2020, it was necessary to adopt a further action plan for the protection and restoration of seas and oceans. The joint engagement of environmental NGOs resulted in the adoption of a new action plan, the Blue Manifesto: A Roadmap to a Healthy Ocean by 2030.
The plan to save seas and oceans in three steps
The document summarizes key conclusions about what is politically needed to make seas and oceans healthy again in three steps:
Step 1: Adopt the EU Ocean Deal
By adopting the EU Ocean Deal, we would ensure the alignment of all policies and legislation affecting seas and oceans to create a framework for integrating existing and new laws. The goal is to make all ocean-related policies suitable for the preservation and restoration of oceans and coastal communities, to improve the consistency and implementation of national and international environmental rules, to promote transparency in activities related to seas and oceans, and to integrate strict provisions on reporting and access to justice.
Step 2: Establish an EU fund for seas and oceans
The establishment of an EU fund for seas and oceans, dedicated to the long-term restoration and preservation of the marine environment and a just transition to a sustainable blue economy, would increase the level of funding dedicated exclusively to the protection of seas and oceans.
Step 3: Put seas and oceans at the center of EU decision-making
The European Parliament committees responsible for policies affecting the EU Ocean Deal and the EU Fund (such as the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety Committee, the Fisheries Committee, Transport and Tourism Committee, Industry, Research and Energy Committee, and various budget committees) should hold regular joint meetings to ensure coherence between sectoral policies related to seas and oceans, including climate and marine protection. A Commissioner for Seas and Oceans, dealing with all sectors, should be appointed in the new European Commission, and joint meetings of the Environment, Energy, Fisheries, and Transport Ministers should be held within each Council presidency to advance the implementation of the Ocean Agreement.
Events during European Ocean Week
Sunce’s representatives participated in the event “Rethink Fisheries! – For Thriving Seas and Communities.” The event gathered fishermen, representatives of EU institutions, NGOs, and activists who collectively reexamined fisheries in Europe. For decades, industrial fishing practices, such as trawling, have dominated our seas, leading to the degradation and depletion of our seas and ultimately threatening the fishing industry itself. However, compelling testimonies from small-scale fishers from Sweden, Denmark, France, Spain, and Ireland convinced us that there is hope for positive change through the use of alternative concepts, practices, and business models, which have proven beneficial for marine ecosystems and local communities.
Enjoying scenes from a report by oceanographer and filmmaker Inka Cresswell, listening to sustainable solutions from small fishers across Europe on sustainable fishing, and with the relaxing music of artist Yu Lin Humm, whose music simulates the natural sound of the sea, we concluded that a critical group—a movement of small fishers, ocean lovers, and enthusiasts—has formed, genuinely serving as ambassadors for marine protection, proving that there is a different, better path forward.
Advocacy for our sea
To advocate for the implementation of the Blue Manifesto’s proposed measures and present Sunce’s advocacy activities at the national level, we visited Croatian MEP Romana Jerković and spoke with Fran Stojaković, an advisor to MEP Biljana Borzan. In the meetings, we identified common areas of action to achieve the shared goal of environmental protection.
We hope that the future of our seas and oceans is not as bleak as it seems, with encouraging words from European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, addressed to the newly elected European Parliament on July 18, 2024. During the presentation of the political guidelines for the period 2024–2029, the President specifically emphasized the necessity of further protection and restoration of marine ecosystems as part of the Ocean Pact. We hope that these guidelines will indeed serve as a “roadmap” toward achieving our common ambitions for preserving healthy seas and oceans, for the benefit of all people and our planet.