PRESS RELEASE – 17 September 2025

The Oceans Act under preparation by the European Commission is key for the EU to demonstrate its global leadership in marine protection.

  • Over 114,000 citizens from around the world call for EU to show global leadership for ocean conservation through an ambitious EU Ocean Act
  • Petition delivered to key ocean decision-makers, including today to EU Commissioner for Fisheries and Oceans, Costas Kadis, signalling public demand for proper ocean conservation
  • Six concrete demands include banning offshore oil and gas exploration, implementing vessel speed reduction, and ensuring effective marine habitat protection where destructive fisheries have no place

Yesterday, OceanCare formally delivered a Petition in Brussels, signed by more than 114,000 citizens, to EU Commissioner for Fisheries and Oceans, Costas Kadis, which calls for the conservation measures outlined in a six-point Action Plan. Along with the petition, Fabienne McLellan, Managing Director of OceanCare, handed over a red globe to the Commissioner, symbolising a wounded blue planet, urging action to address the marine crisis.

Fabienne McLellan, Managing Director of OceanCare said:

“After the disappointing final Declaration adopted at the Third United Nations Ocean Conference in Nice, France, in June, and as the negotiations for a global Plastics Treaty in August in Geneva collapsed, we look to the European Union to step up and reaffirm EU leadership in ocean conservation. There is little hope that the global community reaches the Sustainable Development Targets for Life Below Water (SDG14) by 2030 if the current trajectory continues. The EU and its Member States must follow their commitments and implement concreate measures and restore ocean health.”

“The EU Ocean Act, which is being prepared by the European Commission and set for processing in the coming months, has to be inspiring, specific, and transformative, putting in place protection measures to achieve a Good Environmental Status, something the EU Member States should have already achieved by 2020 but did not.”

Based on a consultation of the relevant stakeholders, the EU Commission will propose an “Ocean Act” by 2027, building on a revision of the Maritime Spatial Planning Directive (MSPD). According to the European Commission, it will aim to strengthen and modernise maritime spatial planning as a strategic tool supporting the priorities of the Ocean Pact, including “protecting and restoring ocean health” and “strengthening EU ocean diplomacy and international rules-based governance.” The latter refers to the Agreement under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea on the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Marine Biological Diversity of Areas beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ Agreement), anticipated to enter into force early 2026.

 

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Six Demands for Ocean Protection

The OceanCare Petition “Because Our Planet Is Blue” centres on six transformative demands addressing the root causes of ocean degradation, calling on governments around the world to take action within national, regional and international frameworks:

  1. Ban offshore oil and gas exploration and phase out existing fossil fuel extraction from marine environment
    While some EU Member States, such as Spain, France, and Portugal, have already adopted such a ban, others continue to explore the exploitation of new fossil fuel deposits on the seabed.
  2. Implement mandatory vessel speed reduction to protect marine wildlife from ship strikes and reduce underwater noise pollution
    By joining a High Ambition Coalition for a Quiet Ocean, the European Union has committed to reduce ocean noise pollution, established the first ocean noise threshold values in its waters, and put a framework in place that should now lead to the implementation of effective measures.
  3. Prohibit destructive fishing practices such as bottom trawling that devastate seafloor ecosystems
    Although the EU Fisheries Action Plan requires Member States to stop bottom trawling in Marine Protected Areas, implementation remains lacking, and some Member States and interest groups continue to mobilize against it.
  4. Adopt comprehensive plastic pollution rules addressing the full lifecycle of plastics from production to disposal
    As the Plastics Treaty negotiations to end plastic pollution have collapsed, we look to those ambitious actors, such as the EU and its Member States, that have committed to deliver an ambitious and effective global binding Plastics Treaty and to find pathways to deliver on such promise.
  5. Agree on a deep-sea mining moratorium to protect the largely unexplored deep ocean from industrial exploitation
    Informed by the Protection Principle and the Precautionary Principle, actors should halt any attempt to develop deep-sea mining and promote a moratorium position among its Member States and within international fora.
  6. Ensure effective marine habitat protection and enforce conservation measures to restore ecosystems damaged by human activities
    Continue to champion the BBNJ Agreement and swiftly proceed with the conservation-minded implementation of the Agreement as a priority, including by advocating for swift ratification by all the EU Member States.

Because our Planet is Blue

Launched on World Oceans Day 2024, the campaign mobilised support across multiple countries, reflecting growing public concern about the state of marine ecosystems. The petition signatures represent citizens from around the world who refuse to accept the continued decline of ocean health. The petition has been handed over to key decision-makers, including to UN Special Envoy for the Oceans, Ambassador Peter Thomson,

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About OceanCare

OceanCare is an international marine conservation non-governmental organisation, founded in Switzerland in 1989. The organisation pursues the protection and restoration of the marine environment and marine wildlife with a strong policy focus, combining research, conservation projects and education. OceanCare’s remit includes marine pollution, climate change, marine mammal hunting and the environmental consequences of fisheries. Its work is supported by a team of scientific, legal and policy experts, and involves strategic collaboration with civil society organisations and coalitions around the world. OceanCare is an officially accredited partner and observer to several UN conventions and other international fora. www.oceancare.org