Christophe Clergeau MEP, Chair of the SEArica Intergroup, has launched a call on the European Commission to position Europe as a maritime power for the people and the environment by adopting an ambitious and demanding European Ocean Pact, together with Searica Vice-Chairs from the S&D, Renew, The Greens and The Left groups. He will is in Cork this week for the European Maritime Days. “As Members of the European Parliament, we are calling for a bold and transformative vision around 8 key priorities to reshape connection between oceans, blue economy and people, in a sustainable way.”
The letter is calling for a bold and transformative vision: a new model of governance that redefines the relationship between the Ocean and the people. To achieve this vision, MEPs identified eight key priorities:
“1/ We need to keep the Ocean at the Heart of the EU Agenda.
2/ The European Ocean Pact must place people at its core.
3/ We must urgently restore and protect the Ocean to ensure it remains a stable planetary life supporting system.
4/ We need to grasp the Ocean’s potential to foster economy, generate quality jobs, and enhance European sovereignty and security.
5/ We must unlock the full potential of Ocean knowledge, research and innovation.
6/ We must organise Ocean governance at the right level for maximum environmental, social, and economic effectiveness.
7/ Ambition without funding is just rhetoric: we must secure a real financing for the European Ocean Pact.
8/ A vision alone is not enough: we need an ambitious European Ocean Pact that includes full implementation, alignment and binding commitments where critical gaps need to be addressed through a coherent framework of legislative and non-legislative measures.”
For Christophe Clergeau MEP, “for too long, the European Union has failed to consider oceans as a true priority. Today, Europe has a unique opportunity to assert itself as a global leader by presenting a new model of governance – one that redefines the relationship between the Ocean and humanity”. He concluded: “We urge the EU to take decisive action.
Let’s make sure our ambitions match our means to achieve it!”
Attached: Letter to Commissioner Kadis
Press contact: Cecilia Gondard 0032 494 64 80 54