Brussels: Europe and the Arabs
A statement issued by the European Union institutions in Brussels said that at the “Our Ocean” conference in Panama, the European Union confirmed its strong participation in the international governance of the oceans by announcing 39 commitments for action for the year 2023. These actions will be funded by 816.5 million euros. This is one of the largest sums the European Union has ever announced since the Our Ocean conferences began in 2014.

At the Our Ocean conference, the European Union is taking commitments to action covering all the themes of the event: marine protected areas (MPAs), marine pollution, climate change, sustainable fisheries, sustainable blue economies and maritime security. In addition to the commitments, the EU today also joins the Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated Fishing Action Coalition (IUU).

New EU commitments for a safe, clean environment and sustainable management

The theme for the 2023 edition is “Our Ocean, Our Connection,” which calls for new commitments and joint efforts around the world to support a safe, clean and sustainably managed ocean. In support of these goals, the new EU commitments announced today include, for example:

Around €320 million for ocean research to protect marine biodiversity and address the impacts of climate change on the oceans. For example, this will help develop the Ocean's Digital Twin and implement the Pan-Atlantic Alliance for Research and Innovation. This will support the goals of the EU mission “Restore our ocean and water by 2030” which has set ambitious targets by 2030: cleaning marine and fresh waters, restoring degraded ecosystems and habitats, and decarbonizing the blue economy.
   €12 million to facilitate access to Copernicus data and products through the Panama-run Copernicus Regional Center for Latin America and the Caribbean. This center will facilitate timely access to all Copernicus Sentinel data for policy implementation, sustainable development and science.
The European Union will also renew the satellite constellation with the launch of Sentinel-1C at a cost of 250 million euros. Sentinel-1C will be useful for continuing real-time monitoring of icebergs and ice melt over the Arctic in order to monitor the impact of climate change.
€126 million to protect biodiversity and combat climate change in Benin, Guyana and Tanzania.
€24 million over the period 2022-2023 through voluntary contributions under the European Marine, Fisheries and Aquaculture Fund (EMFAF) for actions to support regional fisheries management organizations (RFMOs), regional fisheries bodies (RFBs) and relevant international agreements in the ocean Atlantic, Pacific, Indian, Arctic, Antarctic, Mediterranean, and Black Seas. Actions will include supporting: scientific research to support science-based management decisions; improving monitoring of fishing activities and compliance with the rules of regional fisheries management organizations; combat illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing; Evaluate the state of finance management organizations through performance reviews; As well as ensuring the effective participation of developing coastal states in regional fisheries management organizations.
€1 million for the WTO's Financing Mechanism for Fisheries Support. The aim is to support developing countries, through technical assistance and capacity building, to implement controls under the WTO's Agreement on Harmful Fisheries Subsidies.
Our oceans and seas cover 71% of the Earth's surface. The ocean is under pressure: it is suffering from global warming, unsustainable practices, illegal fishing, pollution, and loss of marine habitat. Our Ocean Conference aims to strengthen collective efforts to address these issues. It brings together countries around the world, civil society, and industry to inspire common solutions and make ambitious commitments to protecting the oceans.
Our Ocean Conference was originally launched in 2014, and has since amassed more than 1,800 commitments worth nearly $108 billion and has protected more than five million square miles of ocean.
During this 8th edition of Our Ocean Conference, Panama will seek to support cooperation around 6 action areas: climate change, sustainable fisheries, sustainable blue economies, marine protected areas, marine safety and marine pollution. In addition, the conference will pay attention to specific topics related to marine plastic pollution and sustainable tourism.
The European Union has developed a commitment tracking tool available on the Oceans website. This allows citizens to follow the progress of implementing all of the commitments made at all of our ocean conferences.