The EU has long needed an Ocean Pact; this is certainly not new. What’s new is the urgent need to align ocean protection with economic competitiveness. We must break the false dilemma that protecting the ocean means hindering progress. It’s not either-or – it’s both. With Europe’s blue economy generating €250 billion a year and supporting over 4.5 million jobs, safeguarding our ocean is clearly in our best economic interest.
Now, the real challenge lies in implementation, especially with unclear direction on critical issues like fisheries reform or protecting the marine protected areas from devastating practices like bottom trawling fisheries. As this UN Ocean Conference comes to a close, the EU has demonstrated that when we act together, we make a difference. I welcome the progress made in Nice, and I am looking forward to seeing how this will translate concretely.