Civil society’s demands for fair EU ocean policy

Civil society is urging the EU to put people, not just policies, at the heart of its new Ocean Pact. In a new position, the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) calls for maritime strategies that protect biodiversity while ensuring fairness for coastal communities and industry competitiveness. It also stresses the need to align the Pact with broader EU goals like the Green Deal, SDGs, and Blue Economy Strategy, and to ensure coherence with related frameworks.

The EESC’s message is laid out in its newly adopted opinion on the EU’s ratification of the High Seas Treaty, also known as the BBNJ agreement.  Officially titled Conservation and sustainable use of marine biological diversity of areas beyond national jurisdiction , the opinion was adopted on 16 July 2025 and drafted by rapporteur Javier Garat Pérez. It supports the Commission’s proposal to bring the treaty into EU law, but warns that implementation must be consistent, coordinated, and socially fair.

Turning global goals into European realities

The EESC supports the Commission’s push for strict transposition of the BBNJ agreement into the EU legal framework, ensuring a level playing field and legal certainty for all actors. It agrees that this should be done in full alignment with existing EU sectoral policies, from maritime transport to fisheries and environmental legislation.

But the opinion goes further, calling for the directive to be compatible with other multilateral environmental agreements, and urging a truly integrated approach across institutions. It recommends close coordination between key EU departments—DG Environment (DG ENV), DG Maritime Affairs and Fisheries (DG MARE), and DG Transport (DG MOVE)—to ensure implementation is coherent and effective. That cooperation, the EESC argues, must be institutionalised to avoid overlaps and fragmentation.

"The High Seas Treaty must not become a blunt tool. Conservation must go hand in hand with economic, social and cultural sustainability," said Garat Pérez.

30x30: a target with social consequences

The EESC backs the EU’s commitment to the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework—especially the so-called 30x30 target, which aims to protect at least 30 percent of the world’s oceans by 2030 through marine protected areas and other effective area-based conservation measures (OECMs). But it warns that marine protected areas in the high seas must be not only ecologically meaningful, but equitably governed, socially inclusive, and regionally adapted.

The opinion highlights the experience of regional fisheries management organisations (RFMOs), many of which already manage protected areas and are exploring new conservation tools like OECMs. It urges the Commission to use this existing knowledge as a foundation for action, without undermining the mandates of these bodies.

At the same plenary session, the EESC also adopted an opinion on the transposition of RFMO measures into EU law, also drafted by rapporteur Javier Garat Pérez. That opinion emphasises the importance of harmonising international fisheries management rules with EU policy to avoid overlaps, inconsistencies, and delays.

It supports the Commission’s approach and calls for simpler, faster procedures—warning that the current system for implementing RFMO decisions in EU law is too slow and burdensome. The EESC recommends exploring the feasibility of a fast-track mechanism to ensure that technical measures can be applied immediately when necessary.

It also stresses that any transposition must avoid adding extra obligations for the EU fleet and must ensure a level playing field with non-EU operators, in line with international law such as UNCLOS and the New York Agreement on straddling and highly migratory fish stocks.

"Setting targets is not enough. We must make sure they are delivered with local knowledge, scientific backing, and real support for communities on the frontlines," said Garat Pérez.

The EESC also stresses that the designation of new conservation zones must take into account the specific characteristics of each region, potential socioeconomic impacts, and the need to maintain food production and viable small and large scale fisheries.

'There’s still room for greater ambition. A formal EU action plan could build on the EESC’s proposals by tackling key gaps—from ‘sea farm to fork’ strategies and tidal energy, to inclusive governance and long-term monitoring. The opinion on the Ocean Pact gave us the direction; the recent ones give us the instruments to move forward," Garat Pérez said.

Not just a treaty, a test of trust

The EESC welcomes the EU’s leadership in ocean diplomacy. But it also makes this one success will be measured not by targets alone, but by how well the pact balances environmental ambition with social fairness.

It warns that conservation without community input risks alienating the very people whose cooperation is most needed. That’s why it calls for interinstitutional cooperation and subsidiarity to be respected, ensuring local voices and regional needs are heard.

"This is about trust. If Europe asks coastal communities to take part in protecting the oceans, it must also offer them a fair share of the benefits," concluded Garat Pérez.

Background information: Building on a broader vision

The opinion Civil society’s recommendations towards a European oceans pact, also authored by Javier Garat Pérez, offered a far-reaching vision of what a just and sustainable European ocean policy could look like, placing strong emphasis on community participation, maritime skills and innovation hubs, and interinstitutional coordination.

Several themes from the EESC’s opinion on the European Ocean Pact are reflected in the European Commission’s approach, including support for climate-neutral technologies, streamlined governance, marine spatial planning, and a blue economy aligned with the SDGs and the Green Deal. The Commission’s proposal broadly aligns with the EESC’s recommendations on governance, inclusion, innovation, and sustainability. But key gaps remain:

• The EESC’s call for a structured “sea farm to fork” strategy and for an “EU Action Plan on Blue Foods” is reduced to a communication campaign.
• Tidal and wave energy are not given the clear priority the EESC urged.
• Platforms like the Ocean Board fall short of formal interagency working groups or a dedicated industrial alliance.
• Social measures touch on youth and skills but overlook cultural heritage and transition support for vulnerable workers.
• While scientific monitoring is strong, there is no SDG-style progress review mechanism with civil society and EESC involvement. (ks)