EU Commits Euro 1bn to Protect Ocean

(3 Minutes Read)

Von Der Leyen said the bloc’s new Ocean Pact aims to reduce plastic pollution, restore maritime ecosystems, renew an ageing fleet, and fight against illegal fishing.

European Union Commission President Ursula Von Der Leyen has announced a €1 billion investment plan to protect oceans and support coastal communities and fisheries. There is a funding shortfall to support ocean conservation, to support ocean science, and sustainable fishing, she said.

Speaking at the United Nations Ocean conservation summit in the French city of Nice on Monday, she said the funds will go to 50 different projects around the world. Von Der Leyen said the bloc’s new Ocean Pact aims to reduce plastic pollution, restore maritime ecosystems, renew an ageing fleet, and fight against illegal fishing.

She added that the EU will develop regional partnerships in the Mediterranean, in West Africa and in the Pacific. Von Der Leyen said the bloc’s new Ocean Pact aims to reduce plastic pollution, restore maritime ecosystems, renew an ageing fleet, and fight against illegal fishing.

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French President Emmanuel Macron echoed similar sentiments, urging European countries, especially, to follow commitments being made to safeguard the oceans. The conference comes as just 2.7 per cent of the ocean is effectively protected from destructive extractive activities, according to the non-profit Marine Conservation Institute.