Integrated maritime policy

Why ocean protection matters

The EU has a coastline of about 70 000 km, and its maritime domain spans many sectors, providing a wide range of resources, benefits and services, all crucial for the EU's competitiveness, prosperity and security.

To strengthen governance and co-operation on ocean policies, the 'European Ocean Pact' sets out a framework for responsible ocean governance, built around six main areas.

Healthy ocean

Competitive and sustainable blue economy

Coastal communities and islands

Ocean knowledge, research and skills

Maritime security and defence

Ocean diplomacy

The pact introduces a series of initiatives in each of the areas, with a view to delivering on the EU's environmental, social and economic goals.

Following a call from the European Council on 20 March 2025, the European Commission presented the 'European Ocean Pact' on 5 June 2025, which was subsequently welcomed by the Council on 8 December 2025 with calls for further action. Next, the Commission should present, by the end of 2026, the 'Ocean Act'. The aim is to strengthen ocean governance in the EU.

Council conclusions on the European Ocean Pact, 8 December 2025

Environmental conservation and biodiversity

Preserving ocean health is crucial, especially in the face of pollution, the overexploitation of resources and climate change.

To counter these threats, the Council has stressed the importance and urgency of conserving, restoring and sustainably using the ocean and its ecosystems.

As regards biodiversity, the Council encourages swift ratification of the UN's Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction Agreement (BBNJ) and has called for faster implementation of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework.

The Council has also called for a legally binding agreement to end plastic pollution and has stressed the importance of achieving a good environmental status in the EU's marine habitats.

Competitiveness and sustainability

The ocean is crucial for a wide range of sectors, for example fisheries, aquaculture, shipping, tourism and energy. In keeping with its digital and green transition objectives, the EU is committed to enhancing competitiveness and driving growth, reducing CO₂ emissions and scaling up innovation in sectors across its so-called blue economy.

To that end, the Council has called for the strengthening of the EU's maritime industry with a new EU industrial maritime strategy and an EU ports strategy.

In view of the new EU industrial maritime strategy, the Council also stressed the importance of investments in research, jobs and skills development, as well as improved access to capital for European companies and SMEs.

Support to coastal communities

Coastal and island communities are essential for a sustainable and competitive blue economy, as they provide food security as well as clean and affordable marine renewable energy. However, they also face specific challenges, such as vulnerability to rising sea levels, coastal erosion and extreme weather events, as well as limited economic diversification.

To address these challenges, the Council has called for increased support to help coastal communities in their climate change adaptation efforts and help sectors depending on the blue economy. In addition, the Council also stressed the importance of the upcoming EU strategy on sustainable tourism to further support coastal communities.

The Council has also stressed the importance of ensuring:

special attention to the EU's outermost regions
greater coordination between local, national and regional levels in decision-making processes

Research and skills

The EU is committed to maintaining a lead in ocean science, to improving ocean knowledge and to making it readily available. Support for research, innovation and open data is crucial to achieving these objectives. With that in mind, the Council has called for:

stronger data management frameworks
increased cross-sectoral and cross-border cooperation, including on pressures on the ocean
more knowledge sharing, training, up- and re-skilling of marine-related workforces
enhanced ocean literacy as well as citizen and youth engagement in policymaking
stronger links between science and policy

In addition, the Council has stressed the importance of standardised marine data, enhanced data collection and monitoring, and has welcomed the ocean observation initiative.

Maritime security

The growing complexity of maritime threats – ranging from attacks on underwater infrastructure, cyber threats and risks posed by the shadow fleet – demands a coordinated response. The EU’s maritime security policy is based on a dedicated strategy, which helps the EU protect its interests at sea as well as protect its citizens, values and economy.

Ocean diplomacy and international cooperation

The EU will strengthen its ocean diplomacy to protect the ocean, promote EU interests and values, and advance multilateral cooperation, in full respect of international law. In this regard, the Council has stressed the importance of cooperating with international partners to counter marine pollution, the depletion of fish stocks and the loss of marine resources.

The Council has also reaffirmed the EU's zero-tolerance position on illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing, and called for:

stronger international cooperation to ensure transparency in fishing vessel ownership structures
a new approach in the EU's external action for global fisheries governance and the sustainable management of ocean and marine resources

The Council also supports the work of EU member states within the framework of the International Seabed Authority to establish a sound regulatory regime on potential future deep-sea mining.