CCB´s response to the Call for Evidence of the EU Oceans Pact
CCB • March 5, 2025
What is the Oceans Pact?
The Commission defines this Pact as a political initiative that aims to promote sustainable ocean management and ensure the health, resilience, and productivity of the oceans and thus the prosperity of the EU’s coastal communities. The pact was announced by President Von Der Leyen in her political guidelines for the next European Commission (2024-2029) and aims to bring coherence across all EU policy areas linked to oceans.
The Oceans Pact will target 3 pillars:
- Maintain a healthy, resilient, & productive ocean.
- Promote a sustainable and competitive blue economy, including fisheries & aquaculture.
- Work towards a comprehensive agenda for marine knowledge, research, innovation, & investment.
It will also look at:
- how we affect the ocean
- how the ocean affects coastal communities
- the opportunities that the ocean provides us with
The Oceans Pact will be presented by the EU Commission at the UN Ocean Conference in June 2025.
What CCB thinks is important to include in the Oceans Pact:
For the Oceans Pact to truly benefit the Baltic Sea we need it to be ambitious and include legally binding targets benefiting the marine environment and biodiversity (e.g. goals on marine protection of 30 % by 2030 or good environmental status).
In particular, for CCB the Oceans Pact should:
- be built on legally binding targets to protect, restore and conserve our Oceans.
- outline coherence between different marine legislation and strategies (e.g. the Marine Strategy Framework Directive, Common Fisheries Policy, Marine Action Plan, the Biodiversity Strategy, the Nature Restoration Regulation, the Water Framework Directive, Renewable Energy Directive, Habitats and Birds Directive and the Natura 2000-network, the Marine Spatial Planning Directive and pressures on the marine environment, such as shipping and Carbon Capture and Storage or commercial and recreational fishing).
- address the large pressure of the Baltic Sea marine environment from land and agriculture.
- bring cooperation to decision-making and management and emphasize the full implementation of existing legislation.
- support the implementation of a just transformation towards a ‘regenerative blue economy’ to the benefit of coastal communities and marine ecosystems.
- create a new Ocean Fund that aligns with the existing legislation to replace the current EMFAF. The Ocean Fund would be used to fund 1) ocean conservation & restoration, and 2) a just transition to a regenerative blue economy. In this context, misuse and/or counterproductive use of funds needs to end, which includes the abolishment of harmful subsidies e.g. fuel for fishing vessels. Instead, a CO2 tax should be implemented on fuel for vessels fishing with harmful mobile bottom-contacting gear.
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EXTRA RESOURCES
CCB signed and published documents with further recommendations:
- The Blue Manifesto, co-signed with over 140 other NGOs. It includes a roadmap with clear targets for the marine environment.
- CCB position papers pushing for actions towards the 30x10 target by 2030: the MPA and the OECMs papers (published in 2024).
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.
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.