140 organisations call on new EU leadership to prioritise ocean health with new fund and ban on destructive activities

CCB • October 2, 2024

With Ocean Week taking the stage this week in Brussels (30 September- 4 October), CCB and other 139 organisations call on the newly elected EU institutions to take a series of bold measures to stop the EU’s ocean and coastlines being pushed to the brink, including launching a Ocean Fund and proposing new legislation to ban destructive activities at sea.

2 October 2024 - Launched at the European Parliament on 1 October, the Blue Manifesto, led by Seas At Risk, BirdLife Europe and Central Asia, ClientEarth, Oceana, Surfrider Foundation Europe and WWF, advocates for an ambitious Ocean Deal that places ocean health at the heart of EU decision-making. It comes after the European Commission president, Ursula von der Leyen, pledged to create a “European Ocean Pact” in July as she was re-appointed for a new term.


According to the European Environment Agency, more than 90% of Europe’s marine area is under pressure from human activities – intensive fishing, shipping, oil and gas drilling, tourism and other coastal activities. Destructive practices such as bottom trawling continue in 90% of EU offshore Marine Protected Areas (MPAs), and more than 14 million tonnes of plastic still enter the ocean each year.


The Blue Manifesto - first launched in 2020 and updated in 2024 - calls on the EU to:

  • Use its money more wisely
  • Improve ocean governance
  • Ensure effective marine protection
  • Fight against pollution
  • Add the “blue” to the EU’s green just transition


The full document is available in English, French, German and Spanish HERE.


Watch the promotional video:

List of organisations which signed the Blue Manifesto:
Aquatic Life Institute, aquatil gGmbH, Archipelagos Institute of Marine Conservation, ARK Rewilding NL, Art Bakard, Asociación Ambiente Europeo, Associação Bandeira Azul de Ambiente e Educação, Association BIOM, Atlantic Cities, Beyond Plastic Med, BirdLife Malta, BirdLife Sweden, BirdWatch Ireland, BLOOM, Blue Ventures, BLUEBIO ALLIANCE, Blutopia, Bulgarian Biodiversity Foundation, BUND, CAN Europe, Cantine sans plastique France, Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL), CHELONIA, Child Rights International Network (CRIN), City to Sea, Clean Air Action Group, CNCD-11.11.11, Coalition Clean Baltic – CCB, Coastwatch Europe, Compassion in World Farming, Cyclades Preservation Fund, Danmarks Naturfredningsforening, Dansk Ornitologisk Forening (DOF BirdLife), Deep Sea Conservation Coalition, Deutsche Stiftung Meeresschutz, Deutsche Umwelthilfe, Deutscher Naturschutzring (DNR), Doggerland Foundation, Društvo Ekologi brez meja, Eco-Union, ECODES, Ecologistas En Accion – EEA, ECOS (Environmental Coalition on Standards), Electra Energy, Environmental Investigation Agency, Environmental Justice Foundation, Eurogroup for Animals, Europe Jaques Delors, European Environmental Bureau – EEB, European Underwater Federation (EUF), Fauna & Flora, Feedback EU, FishSec, Fondation Tara Océan, Foro Marino Islas Baleares, France Nature Environnement – FNE, Friends of the Earth Cyprus, Friends of the Earth Europe, Fundación Montescola, Fundación Nueva Cultura del Agua, Fundación para la conservación de Ibiza y Formentera, Gallifrey Foundation, Geota, Global Witness, Good Fish, GOOD KARMA PROJECTS, GYBN Europe, Health and Environment Justice Support, Hellenic Ornithological Society (HOS), High Seas Alliance, Iceland Nature Conservation Association, International Fund for Animal Welfare – IFAW, International Peace Information Service (IPIS), Irish Wildlife Trust – IWT, Jesuit European Social Centre, Kelonia-RMR, KYMA sea conservation & research, Lithuanian Ornithological Society (LOD), LookDown Collective, Marilles Foundation, Marine Conservation Society, MATER, MIO-ECSDE, Mundus Maris, Naturskyddsföreningen (Swedish Society for Nature Conservation), Naturvernforbundet, Norwegian Society for The Conservation of Nature, Natuur; Milieu, Natuurpunt, No Plastic In My Sea, North Sea Foundation, Ocean; Climate Platform, Ocean Alive, Ocean Rebellion, Ocean Vision Legal, Ocean. Now! e.V. OceanCare, Oceano Fresco, Oikos – Cooperação e Desenvolvimento, OURZ GmbH, Patagonia, Pestizid Aktions-Netzwerk e.V.,Planet Tracker, Plastic Change, Plastic Soup Foundation, Polish Zero Waste Association, Quercus – Associação Nacional de Conservação da Natureza, Recycle Lebanon, REScoop.eu, Retorna, Sciaena, SDG Watch Europe, Sea First, SEO/BirdLife, SharkGuardian, SharkProject, Stop the Grind, StopFinningEU, Sunce, Sustainable Fisheries and Communities Trust (SFACT), Sustainable Ocean Alliance, SWAN, TransMarTech S-H GmbH, Umanotera, Waddenvereniging, WeMove Europe, Wetlands International Europe, Wetlands International Europe, Whale and Dolphin Conservation – WDC, Women Engage for a Common Future, Worldrise, Youth and Environment Europe (YEE), zeefier, ZERO, Zero Waste Society.

EU Commission upholds Fisheries Law: Finland's 2025 Atlantic Salmon quota reduced after unjustified overfishing in 2024

By CCB • May 7, 2025
7 May 2025 - Yesterday the European Commission took a strong decision to deduct Finland´s 2025 Atlantic Salmon quota due to unjustified overfishing last year. This action is a clear application of the EU fisheries rules - aiming to ensure sustainable fishing practices and compliance with established quotas - and an important precedent for the consistent enforcement of fisheries law. In 2024, Finland was allocated a strict by-catch quota for Atlantic salmon, with direct fishing prohibited, except for some specific, minor exceptions. Despite this, Finland reported catching 3,162 salmon in a targeted fishery, under a claimed derogation stating the fishery was for scientific research purposes. Upon review, the European Commission concluded that these activities did not meet the legal standards for such an exemption and therefore found this claim unjustified. The number of vessels participating, 32, the number of salmon caught as well as the fact that Finland refused to re-release the salmon after conducting the “scientific research” are all reasons why the fishery cannot be considered to have been carried out for scientific research purposes. As a result, the same number of salmon caught beyond the legal limit in 2024 is now being deducted from Finland’s 2025 quota, from the same stock. “ We welcome the Commission's decision to take enforcement action and apply the law as intended. It sends a clear message to Member States that exceeding quotas will have consequences. However, more consistent enforcement is urgently needed across EU waters, especially in the Baltic Sea, where many fish stocks are collapsing and the ecosystem is in a poor state ” said Aimi Hamberg, CCB Marine Policy Officer. The Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry of Finland has already responded to the Commission´s quota reduction for Atlantic salmon by stating that this decision “is not legally justified” and they will consider taking legal action against it. As this matter continues to evolve, it is highlighting the importance of collective responsibility in managing fish stocks sustainably. Species like salmon, herring and cod , are under increasing pressure due to overfishing, climate change and habitat loss. In this context, rule enforcement is not just a bureaucratic step but a necessary action to ensure the long-term sustainability of marine life in the Baltic Sea.

CCB is looking for a Network Officer to join our team at the CCB International Secretariat (closed)

By CCB • April 9, 2025
Coalition Clean Baltic – CCB is a politically independent network, uniting 27 environmental non-profit organizations, as well as partners and experts from 11 countries surrounding the Baltic Sea. The main goal of CCB is to promote the protection and improvement of the environment and natural resources of the Baltic Sea region by encouraging new and constructive approaches and engaging people to become part of the solution instead of part of the problem. CCB Secretariat is based in Uppsala, Sweden.