JOINT COMMUNICATION TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT, THE COUNCIL, THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COMMITTEE AND THE COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS

INTRODUCTION

This synopsis collates the information on consultation activities carried out in 2020-2022 for updating the 2016 Joint Communication by the European Commission (EC) and High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy (HRVP) on the International Ocean Governance (IOG) .

The IOG Agenda offers a coherent frame for the EU’s contribution towards healthy, clean, secure, safe and sustainably managed oceans. The adoption of the Agenda in 2016 triggered international cooperation to improve governance to protect the oceans, strengthen international research and develop a sustainable blue economy. The progress report on the IOG Agenda published in March 2019 confirmed timely delivery of most actions of the Agenda and confirmed the Agenda’s value for concerted and targeted EU action. This support was echoed by the European Parliament’s resolution in 2020 on the European Green Deal , which highlighted the importance of fostering the role of the EU as a global leader in ocean governance. The update of the IOG Agenda is included in the Commission’s work programme 2022 (PLAN/2021/11284) and in President von der Leyen’s 2021 letter of intent.

This synopsis report compiles and analyses information on consultation activities carried out over the years from 2020 to 2022. They include the activities of the IOG Stakeholder Forum, the targeted online consultation on the IOG, as well as the consultation of stakeholders in relation to the Commission’s ‘Call for Evidence’ document in early 2022.

The IOG Stakeholder Forum, the targeted online consultation on the IOG and the responses to the ‘Call for Evidence’ document confirmed the relevance of the Agenda, supported its renewal and presented recommendations for its development to ensure the EU’s continued leadership in achieving global sustainability objectives. This document provides an overview of these consultation activities as well as analysis related to the recommendations by the stakeholders and conclusions on how they were taken into account in the update of the IOG Agenda.

1.CONSULTATION

The consultation strategy consisted of various types of stakeholder engagement activities organised from 2020 to 2022. The activities included online conferences, meetings, workshops, a targeted online consultation as well as consultation on a ‘Call for Evidence’ document on the EC’s initiative to update the IOG. The aim was to enable all interested stakeholders and experts to have their say.

The International Ocean Governance Stakeholder Forum was established by the EC and the HRVP in 2020. The Forum was intended to serve as a platform for all stakeholders to share their expertise, understanding, experiences and good practices on ocean governance and it carried out activities in 2020 and 2021. It involved a consortium of consultants, including scientific institutions and think tanks, to support the organising of the consultation activities of the IOG Stakeholder Forum.

Stakeholder involvement activities of the IOG Stakeholder Forum included three main online conferences:

o International Ocean Governance (IOG) Forum virtual event on 22-24 April 2020 ,

o The second virtual IOG Forum event on 14-16 December 2020,

o The third and final virtual meeting of the IOG Forum on 20 April 2021

In addition to, or in association with the conferences, thematic online working group discussions, webinars and workshops were organised, focusing on thematic challenges, practical experiences, solutions and pre-conditions for success.

A targeted online Consultation on International Ocean Governance was conducted in EU survey between 15 July and 15 October 2020 targeting stakeholders within and beyond Europe. The consultation aimed to identify relevant actions in the light of challenges and opportunities to deliver global sustainability objectives for the ocean, in particular, the Sustainable Development Goal on the ocean (SDG14) under the 2030 Agenda, in support of the European Green Deal. The targeted online consultation complemented the International Ocean Governance Forum.

In addition to the activities of the Stakeholder Forum and the targeted consultation, a study on the implementation of SDG14 by the EU and its Member States was published in May 2021. The study provided background information on the status of implementation of the Sustainable Development 2030 agenda and progress of implementing SDG14 on life under water and supported the development of recommendations based on the output from the IOG Stakeholder Forum.

In 2022, following EC’s better regulation rules, a ‘ Call for Evidence’ document “Setting the course for a sustainable blue planet, an update of the international ocean governance agenda” was published with the objective to update the 2016 IOG Agenda. The intention was to inform the public and stakeholders about the initiative and to offer a possibility to provide feedback and participate effectively. The ‘Call’ was open from 18 January to 15 February 2022 in the EC’s Have Your Say portal.

2.RESPONSES TO THE CONSULTATIONS

The IOG Stakeholder Forum events in 2020 and 2021 brought together up to 350 ocean stakeholders and experts per meeting, including EU Member States, international organisations, the private sector, civil society and science actors. Altogether, the IOG Stakeholder Forum provided a platform for about 1000 actors for interactive dialogue to share and discuss challenges, practical experiences, solutions and pre-conditions for success.