Blog: The European Union steps up commitments as Ocean Champion - Hoofdinhoud

More than ever before, we understand the many ways in which oceans shape our lives: as a source of food, jobs, medicine, energy, comfort - right to the very air we breathe.

Yet if anything, the threats to our oceans have grown. Climate change, ocean acidification, overfishing, pollution - these pressures know no borders, and they are expected to increase. Our previous indifference has come back to haunt us. Now the world needs to act, together, to nurse our oceans back to health.

That is why a vast coalition of ocean champions is coming together in Washington this week, for the third edition of the Our Ocean conference.

Set up by U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry in 2014, these conferences allow us to share ideas and experiences, to find out what is working and where more needs to be done.

But what makes them stand out is their focus on concrete commitments for action. Delegates are expected to set out how they plan to make our oceans healthier - and, crucially, report back on their progress.

In the European Union, I am proud to say we are well on track. We are making good progress to achieve good environmental status of our waters by 2020. We are halfway to our goal of setting aside 10 percent of our oceans and seas as marine protected areas by 2020. And we are on target to have maritime spatial planning for all EU waters by 2021.

The European Union is also delivering on its commitment to make global fishing more sustainable: in the last 12 months, we have tightened rules for EU fishing vessels above 15 metres, proposed rules to better monitor and control our fishing fleet, and continued to use a budget of 675 million euros - roughly 760 million dollars - to help countries in Africa and Asia fight illegal fishing and develop sustainable fisheries of their own.

But we can do more.

First, we want to share our experiences - and learn from others in return. So we are launching a transatlantic "twinning" project on marine protected areas with countries in Africa, North and South America. Next year, we will co-organise an international conference to work on global guidance on maritime spatial planning.

Second, we want to step up our fight against marine pollution. In December, we proposed ambitious waste targets that address marine litter "upstream", to prevent our waste from even reaching the ocean. The next step is to present a targeted strategy on plastics by 2017, to keep plastic and microplastics from contaminating the marine and coastal environment.

Third, we want to boost ocean research and knowledge. We have more than doubled our initial commitment, setting aside 250 million euros or 280 million dollars until 2020. We are also looking to strengthen scientific cooperation with our transatlantic partners: in spring next year, we will launch a science action plan for the south Atlantic, complementing our excellent cooperation with the United States and Canada.

Finally, we want to ensure a more sustainable use of the oceans and their resources around the globe. This means continuing our fight against illegal fishing, boosting regional fisheries bodies, closing legal gaps, cooperating more effectively, strengthening enforcement - in short, better ocean governance. I intend to launch a major initiative on international ocean governance before the end of the year.

The Our Ocean conferences have created momentum for change. Now we need to keep that momentum. In this spirit, I am proud that the European Union will be hosting the fourth edition of the Our Ocean conference on 5-6 October in Malta next year. In the spirit of Washington and Chile, it will seek new concrete initiatives from around the globe while following up on previously made commitments.

I am also looking forward to engaging more with a sustainable blue business and finance community. Next year in Malta, I would like to hear success stories of investments in the blue economy that helped preserve or restore the marine environment while creating jobs and growth for coastal communities. Let’s share some best practices and hear some commitments from the private sector.

The oceans are our common opportunity and our common responsibility. Let’s all take good care of them.

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This article was originally published in the Huffington Post 'What's working' series on 16 September 2016.

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