Our Ocean Conference: Speech by EU Commissioner Sinkevičius

Dear Minister Gerapetritis, dear Minister Skylakakis,

Thank you for hosting us in the beautiful and historic city of Athens.

Your Excellencies, distinguished guests,

As a previous host and ardent defender of the ocean, the European Union attaches a great deal of importance to this Conference. And I am very pleased that the ocean and issues surrounding it have been constantly gaining momentum since the first Conference in 2014.

We have reached a number of key milestones to protect our ocean:

• First, the UN Agenda for Sustainable Development and its ocean goal (2015);
• Second, the entry into force of the Port State Measures Agreement, marking a major achievement in the effort to combat IUU fishing (2016);
• Third, the IPCC Special Report on the Ocean (2019) and the inclusion of the ocean in the first Global Stocktake of the Paris Agreement (2023) which have raised awareness of the disastrous consequences of climate change on the ocean;
• And, recently, the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework and the BBNJ Agreement. Two historic global agreements for nature and people. We must continue working towards a swift ratification of the High Seas Treaty, with the goal that the treaty can enter into force by the 2025 UN Ocean Conference.

I hope you will agree that these positive developments demonstrate the commitment of the global community to a shared responsibility that is: protecting our ocean.

The ocean has great potential for our economies and for food security. It is also vital for all life on our planet and for our fight against climate change.

But when I say this, I’m only touching the tip of the iceberg. Because if you look deeper, if you look at the hidden part of the iceberg, you will see another story. 

You will see that the ocean is in danger. It is big, it looks strong, but it is actually fragile and vulnerable:

• Ocean temperatures hit a record high two months ago (February), with significant implications for biodiversity and marine CO2 storage[1].
• The world is on the verge of a fourth global mass coral bleaching event, potentially the worst in the planet’s history.

These are just examples. The list is a long one and impacts of global warming are being felt in all parts of the world, larger and more powerful than before.

There is an alarm and it’s coming from the ocean: we need to move faster and take stronger action.

Because, as you know and as we keep on repeating, global challenges know no borders. And the only way we can make a difference is if we act together – collectively.

That is exactly the objective we are pursuing with the Our Ocean Conferences. And I call on all the leaders present here today to urgently protect our planet’s biodiversity hotspots, including the unique but fragile marine ecosystems of the Southern Ocean. With our Member States, we have proposed at the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources to designate two new MPAs in the Southern Ocean – one in East Antarctica and another in the Weddell Sea.

The adoption of these MPAs would constitute a historic act of environmental protection. And it would be an important step towards achieving the 30% target. The world is watching us.

I also call for a comprehensive agreement on global fisheries subsidies as soon as possible.  I regret that, at the 13^th WTO Ministerial Conference, the negotiations on additional rules on subsidies contributing to overcapacity and overfishing did not yield results. But the EU remains committed to finding a way forward and fully delivering on the UN SDG 14.6.

Ladies and gentlemen,

Today is all about action. Action for Our Ocean.

The EU is standing up for this goal. On behalf of the EU, I am very proud to announce 40 new commitments, with a budget of 3.5 billion euro! This is the biggest amount ever announced by the EU since the start of the Our Ocean Conferences. We are committed to action covering all the themes of the Conference. For example:

[Sustainable fisheries]

•  The EU commits 1.9 billion euro under the Recovery and Resilience Facility to support sustainable fisheries and aquaculture in Cyprus, Greece, Poland, Portugal and Spain’s (2020-2026).

[Ocean and climate]

•  103 million euro are dedicated to ocean observation programmes (Copernicus, Wekeo, Neccton) and research to advance ocean models for climate predictions.

[Marine pollution]

•  Another 980 million from the Recovery and Resilience Facility, to be used in Cyprus, Finland, Greece, Italy and Spain’s Recovery and Resilience Plan (2020-2026) to fight marine pollution.

[Blue economy]

•  The EU has also set aside 134 million euro to help African countries develop their blue economies in a sustainable manner: 59 million for Western Africa, 10 million for Mauritania, 35 million for Mozambique, and 30 million euro for Angola.

[Maritime security]

•  The EU also commits 45 million euro to enhancing maritime security and safety in Africa (more precisely in Western Indian Ocean and the Gulf of Guinea).

[Marine protection]

•  Furthermore, the EU pledges 24 million euro to protect marine biodiversity and preserve marine ecosystems in the Blue Benguela Current (Southern Africa), Maldives, Suriname and the French Southern and Antarctic Lands.

Ladies and gentlemen,

The ocean needs us as much as we need it. Our action for the ocean depends on each and every one of us taking a stand and staying committed.

I hope this edition of Our Ocean Conference will be ambitious and impactful.

Thank you for your attention.