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Oceano Azul Foundation

OAF

Ocean Literacy Prepare a blue generation through educational programs for school children and increase public awareness on the challenges of ocean sustainability, aiming to give a voice to the ocean. Ocean Literacy Prepare a blue generation through educational programs for school children and increase public awareness on the challenges of ocean sustainability, aiming to give a voice to the ocean. Capacity Building Promote integrated ocean governance, based upon ethical values and rooted in scientific knowledge; support an environmentally friendly and innovative blue economy.

Lobbying Activity

Meeting with Fernando Andresen Guimaraes (Director Maritime Affairs and Fisheries) and

11 Dec 2025 · The European Ocean Pact

Meeting with Fleur Breuillin (Cabinet of Commissioner Costas Kadis)

14 Oct 2025 · European Ocean Pact

Meeting with Fausto Matos (Cabinet of Executive Vice-President Henna Virkkunen)

16 May 2025 · Ocean Pact

Response to The European Oceans Pact

17 Feb 2025

The European Union is an Ocean Union without an Ocean policy. The EU's approach to ocean governance remains too piecemeal. While there is an EU integrated Maritime Policy, it's vision - which, 20 years later, remains strikingly accurate - failed to materialise. The European Ocean Pact (EOP) is our opportunity to address this fragmentation by adopting a cross-cutting, ambitious EOP laying out the EU's strategic vision for the ocean with concrete (including legislative) actions. The Manifesto for an Ocean Pact, presented by Europe Jacques Delors and the Oceano Azul Foundation (April 2024), provides recommendations to build this agenda (summarised in the document attached), which integrate opportunities for prosperity and social equity, environmental protection, and geostrategic dynamics. 1) Despite EUs leadership in maritime industries (e.g. offshore energy, maritime transport, coastal tourism, seafood trade) the transition to a truly sustainable blue economy has for long remained an EU blind spot. Yet, blue economy sectors can combine sustainability with competitiveness, making the ocean an indispensable ally to deliver on the vision laid out in the EU's Strategic Guidelines and Competitiveness Compass, by transitioning towards a truly sustainable, innovative and inclusive blue economy. 2) The ocean connects and protects Europe. It is its economic lifeline and first line of defence: the Union's economic, energy and food security all depend on continued access to the ocean. The EU needs secure and open sea lanes, as 90% of EUs external trade, and 40% of its internal trade, is maritime. Likewise, reliable underwater infrastructures such as pipelines and cables are vital to the Union, with 99% of data transfers and communications flowing through submarine cables. Particularly in the current international context, the EOP must include a robust geostrategic approach to the ocean, strengthening maritime security and protecting critical infrastructures from threats such as piracy, hybrid or cyber-attacks, and conflicts. 3) As the main EU deliverable for UNOC3, the EOP is an unmissable opportunity to drive the global ocean agenda forward, elevate ocean action to the level of climate action, and anchor European leadership. To this effect, the EOP must define Europe's foreign policy for the ocean a concrete roadmap to spearhead ocean action and start shaping the post-2030 ocean agenda. This roadmap would span from urgent, directly actionable objectives (e.g. the entry into force of the BBNJ Treaty, the adoption of a global moratorium on deep sea mining, or the conclusion of the Global Plastics Treaty) to more innovative and integrated initiatives (e.g. creation of an ocean work programme under the UNFCCC, or a monitoring mechanism for the ocean under Target 3 of the Kunming-Montreal GBF). In light of the above, the Pact should, inter alia: - Provide a European definition for the blue economy by carving out unsustainable activities (e.g. DSM, destructive fishing practices or new offshore oil and gas drilling concessions); - Ensure the full implementation of key regulations (e.g. CFP, IUU, Control, TMR, NRL) and strengthen others to streamline conservation efforts (e.g. MSPD); - Call for the thorough implementation of the revised EU Maritime Security Strategy, the creation of a pan-European Strategy for Maritime Research and a EU Industrial Policy for the Blue Economy, and strengthen the EU international ocean governance with a detailed actionable strategy; - Ban deep-seabed mineral exploitation activities within national jurisdictions in the EU and support a moratorium on DSM in international waters; - Push for the ratification of the BBNJ Treaty and ensure effective EU coordination by establishing a BBNJ coordinating body across services and DGs; - Develop an EU roadmap to reach the 30x30 target at sea; - Decarbonise EU shipping and reduce dependence on fossil fuel imports by investing in renewable ocean energy.
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Meeting with Teresa Ribera Rodríguez (Executive Vice-President) and

12 Feb 2025 · Exchange of views on European Ocean Pact

Meeting with Mairead McGuinness (Commissioner)

9 Jul 2024 · European Ocean Pact