CCB´s submission to the EU Call for Evidence on the Ocean Act

CCB • February 19, 2026

Uppsala, February 2025 - CCB supports the Ocean Pact and Ocean Act objectives for improving coherence, coordination and effectiveness of EU ocean governance. Yet, in order to achieve this, the Act has to deliver truly ecosystem-based management of our seas and make reaching Good Environmental Status, as defined in the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD), a cornerstone of the Act. The Ocean Act can set us on a path to recovery of the marine environment under a sustainable and just blue economy, but only if the Act includes the points outlined below and is implemented swiftly and fully.

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  • Coherence: Align the goals and existing timelines of EU marine legislation, policies and strategies in the Act and make them binding. Furthermore, the Ocean Act must stipulate that national maritime spatial planning has to address all existing and emerging pressures, such as shipping, underwater noise, mining, gravel and sand extraction, Offshore Renewable Energy (ORE), Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS), tourism, aquaculture and commercial and recreational fishing.
  • Breaking silos: The Act must foster collaboration between different agencies and ministries in national governments implementing it, by e.g. stipulating that its implementation should be shared between the environmental and fisheries ministries and that relevant ministries and agencies must consult each other.
  • Targets for national & regional MSPs: The Act should mandate legally binding national MSPs as well as regional MSPs for each sea basin, where at a minimum all the national plans are collated and harmonized, leading to strengthening of regional cooperation, data sharing, and in the long-term to regional maritime spatial planning.
  • Regional Considerations: Acknowledge and address regional challenges, which for the Baltic Sea include the severe effects from eutrophication, mainly due to nutrient runoff from land-based sources, primarily from agriculture, as well as the high levels of other pollutants and hazardous substances. The poor state of the Baltic Sea ecosystems and fish stocks must also be tackled. Climate change is also affecting the Baltic Sea faster than other marine regions and must be factored in when managing the sea area and its resources, to ensure EBM.
  • Strengthening the role of RSCs: To improve coherence, coordination and effectiveness of marine governance the role of the Regional Seas Conventions in implementing the Act and EU marine legislation must be strengthened.
  • Ocean Act adopted as a regulation: To ensure its swift and coherent implementation across EU seas in all Member States the Act should be adopted as a regulation instead of a directive.
  • Land-sea interface: requirement in the existing MSPD must be strengthen in order to ensure that land-based activities don’t have detrimental impacts on the marine ecosystems. It is also important to include land-based efforts when planning for costal and marine restoration, a so-called Source-to-Sea approach, to ensure effective recovery of the Baltic Sea ecosystems.
  • Fisheries and aquaculture: must be included in the national and regional MSPs as activities and pressures that are planned for in a way that reduces their impacts on the ecosystems, sensitive species as well as all harvested species. Likewise, aquaculture prohibition zones should also be implemented, as these can have considerable impact on achieving GES. The Ocean Act should align and support achieving the goals of the CFP regarding rebuilding fish stocks and ending overfishing. The Ocean Act must furthermore require that national and regional MSP map all essential fish habitats and that negative impacts on these by other sectors using the sea, including fisheries, are mitigated. In addition, zoning should prioritise restoration of essential fish habitats.
  • Climate change: the EU goals for reducing greenhouse gases and reaching climate neutrality (as outlined in the European Climate Law and the EU Green Deal) should also be aligned into the Act and planned for when implementing it. Furthermore, national and regional MSPs should include climate change resilient spatial planning.


The full text of the submission is available here.


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Links to supplemental documents supporting our positions:

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Guiding Recommendations for Source-to-Sea Restoration in Riverine, Coastal, and Marine Ecosystems (Coalition Clean Baltic, 2025)

- Position Paper on Marine Protected Areas (Coalition Clean Baltic 2024)

- Don’t sink the Common Fisheries Policy – fulfil its potential (joint NGO Briefing 2025)

- Blue Manifesto (joint NGO paper)

By CCB February 24, 2026
Coalition Clean Baltic – CCB is a politically independent network, uniting 28 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. About the Role Coalition Clean Baltic (CCB) is seeking a Marine Policy Officer (parental leave cover) to join its International Secretariat and contribute substantively to regional and EU-level marine advocacy, with a particular focus on the Baltic Sea. The Marine Policy Officer will support the implementation of EU and international marine environmental policy frameworks — notably the EU Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD), the EU Maritime Spatial Planning Directive (MSPD) and the HELCOM Baltic Sea Action Plan (BSAP) . All work is grounded in the promotion of ecosystem-based management. The role includes close collaboration with the rest of the Secretariat team as well as CCB member organisations to deliver policy initiatives, advocacy actions, and strategic programme objectives. The Marine Policy Officer will also support the International Secretariat in fundraising, with a focus on the EU LIFE operational grant application. Key Responsibilities Policy & Advocacy Support the implementation of CCB’s strategic plan on marine biodiversity policy. Contribute to marine policy advocacy at EU and at Baltic Sea regional levels (e.g. HELCOM, EU Commission expert groups). Provide input to the implementation and revision of the Marine Strategy Framework Directive. Collect evidence and views to provide NGO inputs to the forthcoming EU Ocean Act and related initiatives. Support the implementation of the Helsinki Convention and Baltic Sea Action Plan. Engage in the revision processes related to the Marine Spatial Planning Directive (MSPD). Programme & Grant Delivery Provide critical support in fundraising, i.e. project proposal development, especially for securing core grant funding (e.g. for the EU LIFE Programme and potentially Horizon programme). Contribute to CCB´s project management, implementation and reporting activities for various projects. Coordination & Monitoring Closely coordinate marine biodiversity policy work with CCB member organisations. Monitor global, EU, and regional marine policy developments. Liaise with partner NGOs and civil society organisations. Communications & Policy Products Draft position papers, policy briefings, consultation inputs and technical reports on relevant files. Support communications and outreach on marine policy issues. Help organise workshops, conferences, and stakeholder events. Represent CCB in policy dialogues, expert groups, and stakeholder forums at the EU and Baltic Sea level. Cross-organisational Support within the Secretariat and its members Contribute to other CCB thematic working areas as required. Profile We are seeking a policy professional who is: Solutions-oriented and adaptable Experienced in advocacy or campaigning Collaborative and team-driven Passionate about marine conservation Organised, diplomatic, and stakeholder-confident Required Qualifications & Experience Demonstrable professional experience in marine or environmental policy. Working knowledge of key EU frameworks, particularly the EU Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD). Knowledge of Helcom BSAP is an asset. Postgraduate qualification in marine science, ecology, conservation, water management, or related discipline with substantial marine focus. Eligibility to work and travel within the EU (citizenship or valid permit) with residency in Sweden. Excellent written and spoken English. CCB also welcomes applicants from broader environmental policy/law backgrounds who can demonstrate relevant knowledge. Desirable Skills Experience within the NGO or civil society sector preferred. Advocacy or campaigning experience within the EU, the Baltic Sea or international environmental policy processes. Working knowledge of a Baltic Sea region language (e.g. Swedish, Danish, Finnish, German, Polish, Latvian, Lithuanian, Estonian).
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