EU Announces €3.5 Billion for Ocean Conservation and Sustainability Initiatives

The European Union (EU) has announced initiatives to protect the world’s oceans and promote sustainability at the “Our Ocean” conference in Athens. EU Commissioner for Environment, Oceans and Fisheries, Virginijus Sinkevicius, emphasized the importance of the ocean, stating that it is part of who we are and our responsibility.

The EU has pledged €3.5 billion for initiatives this year to support sustainable fisheries and fight marine pollution. The initiatives include supporting 14 investments and one reform in sustainable fisheries in Cyprus, Greece, Poland, and Portugal, totaling about €1.9 billion. An additional €980 million from the EU’s Recovery and Resilience Facility will be used in Cyprus, Finland, Greece, Italy, and Spain to support four investments and two reforms to combat marine pollution.

The aim of the conference is to promote the “blue economy,” which is defined as the sustainable use of ocean resources to benefit economies, livelihoods, and ocean ecosystem health. Greece strongly supports the idea of the blue economy due to its geographical location and extensive coastline. With thousands of islands and the longest Mediterranean coastline, Greece plans to present its national strategy on marine biodiversity protection at the conference.

Research shows that overfishing and plastic pollution are major threats to the oceans. In February 2021, the European Union’s Copernicus Climate Change Service reported that ocean temperatures hit a record high, highlighting the urgent need for conservation efforts. Without further action