JOINT STAFF WORKING DOCUMENT Accompanying the document JOINT REPORT TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND THE COUNCIL Improving International Ocean Governance - Two years of progress
Date: 2019-03-15
Institutions: Directorate-General for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, European Commission
Subjects: environmental protection, fishery management, green economy, international cooperation, maritime economy, maritime safety, ocean, scientific research, sea, sustainable fisheries

EN 

  EN 

   EUROPEAN COMMISSION HIGH REPRESENTATIVE OF THE UNION FOR FOREIGN AFFAIRS AND SECURITY POLICY Brussels, 15.3.2019  SWD(2019) 104 final    JOINT STAFF WORKING DOCUMENT  Accompanying the document JOINT REPORT TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND THE COUNCIL Improving International Ocean Governance - Two years of progress {JOIN(2019) 4 final}  
 
 
 
INTRODUCTION 

This Staff Working Document is the first in-depth analysis by the European Commission 
and  the  European  External  Action  Service  (EEAS)  of  the  EU’s  international  ocean 
governance agenda since its adoption on 10 November 2016. The document accompanies 
the Joint Report Improving International Ocean Governance – Two years of progress. It 
takes  stock  of  the  activities  and  achievements  undertaken  by  the  Commission's 
departments, the relevant European agencies and the EEAS on the actions set out in the 
2016 Joint Communication1. They are addressed under the guidance of the 2017 Council 
Conclusions2 and the 2018 European Parliament Resolution3. 

PILLAR 1: IMPROVING THE INTERNATIONAL OCEAN GOVERNANCE FRAMEWORK 

Ocean  sustainability  is  a  global  challenge  and  a  shared  responsibility  that  requires  a 
coherent governance framework based on international rules and a sound knowledgebase 
to inform the decision making process. Since adopting this agenda, the EU has used its 
presence in international and regional fora and its bilateral relations with key partners to 
make sure that existing rules are properly implemented and to fill any regulatory gaps. 

Underpinned  by  its  Global  Strategy,  the  EU  is  supporting  international  bodies  with  a 
mandate relevant to oceans and building bridges among relevant actors and cross-sectoral 
initiatives,  while  ensuring  that  human  activities  at  sea  can  operate  in  a  safe  and  secure 
environment. 

  Action 1: Filling the gaps in the international ocean governance framework 

The  EU  has  been  actively  promoting  policy  coherence  and  collective  global 
accountability  for  oceans  under  the  United  Nations'  (UN)  2030  Agenda.  An  important 
milestone in strengthening an international governance framework was the first ever UN 
Ocean  conference  in  June  2017,  on  the  occasion  of  which  the  UN  General  Assembly 
adopted  a  Call  for  Action.  The  EU  welcomed  the  event  and  contributed  19  voluntary 
commitments to support the implementation of Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 14 
to  ‘conserve  and  sustainably  use  the  oceans,  seas  and  marine  resources  for  sustainable 
development.’ 

The UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, the “Constitution for the Oceans”, sets out 
the legal framework for all activities in the oceans and seas and lays the basis for regional 
and  global  action  and  cooperation  in  the  marine  sector.  Given  the  need  for  a 
comprehensive  global  regime  to  better  address  the  conservation  and  sustainable  use  of 
the  biological  diversity  of  areas  beyond  national  jurisdiction,  the  EU  and  its  Member 
States  are  actively  engaged  in  developing  an  international  legally  binding  instrument 
under the Convention. 

Under  the  Convention  on  International  Trade  in  Endangered  Species  (CITES),  the  EU 
has  supported  the  inclusion  of  relevant  marine  species  in  the  international  regime  to 
ensure that wildlife trade is legal and sustainable. The EU has also renewed its financial 
support  for  the  implementation  of  relevant  CITES  decisions,  with  an  additional 

1 JOIN(2016) 49 final 
2 WK 8029/17 INIT 
3 P8_TA(2018)0004 

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EUR 900 000  for  2017-2020.  This  has  helped  exporting  countries  to  more  effectively 
implement  the  CITES  requirements,  in  particular  for  determining  that  traded  marine 
specimens,  including  sharks  and  rays,  were  sustainably  harvested  and  legally  acquired. 
The EU and its Member States have also strengthened their efforts on enforcement and 
combating illegal trade, for example in CITES-listed European eel from EU countries to 
other parts of the world4. 

The EU has supported global efforts to protect marine and coastal biodiversity under the 
UN Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) through priority actions and a project for 
commercially-exploited  marine  species  listed  under  the  Convention.  Moreover,  the  EU 
welcomed  decisions  by  the  13th  CBD  Conference  of  the  Parties  on  a  new  set  of 
ecologically  and biologically  significant  areas in the seas of East Asia, the North-West 
Indian  Ocean  and  the  North-East  Indian  Ocean;  a  voluntary  specific  workplan  for 
biodiversity  in  cold-water  areas;  marine  spatial  planning;  training  initiatives;  and  a 
decision  addressing  impacts  of  marine  debris  and  anthropogenic  underwater  noise  on 
marine and coastal biodiversity. 

Concerning  deep-sea  mining,  the  EU  earmarked  EUR 1.5  million  under  the  European 
Maritime  and  Fisheries  Fund  (EMFF)  in  2017  to  provide  the  International  Seabed 
Authority  with  resources  to  develop  a  regional  environmental  management  plan  along 
the  Mid-Atlantic  Ridge.  In  its  work  on  deep  seabed  mining,  the  Commission  has  put 
emphasis  on  activities  to  ensure  that  deep-sea  mining,  if  it  is  carried  out  at  all,  will  be 
fully  in  line  with  the  EU's  commitment  to  sustainability  in  line  with  the  precautionary 
and ecosystems based approach. 

Furthermore,  the  EU  has  actively  promoted  the  ratification  of  the  International  Labour 
Organisation  Work  in  Fishing  Convention  C188  since  broader  ratification  of  this 
Convention will ensure that fishermen have decent working conditions on board fishing 
vessels. 

A number of EU Member States have ratified the 2012 Cape Town Agreement on fishing 
vessel  safety,  expediting  the  entry  into  force  of  this  key  international  Convention.  The 
Convention  provides  uniform  principles  and  rules  concerning  the  construction  and 
equipment of fishing vessels directed to the safety of such vessels and their crews. While 
the  technical  requirements  are  already  applicable  within  EU  waters  through  Directive 
97/70/EC, there is a need for safety and competition reasons to ensure these basic safety 
rules are made applicable internationally. 

  Action  2: Promoting regional fisheries management and cooperation in key 

ocean areas to fill regional governance gaps 

The EU took a leading role in the negotiations on the Agreement to prevent unregulated 
fishing in the High Seas of the Central Arctic Ocean. The signature of the Agreement in 
October  2018  marked  a  historic  achievement  and  is  a  great  example  of  successful 
regional cooperation. The Agreement will fill a significant gap in the ocean governance 
framework and safeguard the fragile Arctic marine ecosystems for future generations. It 
is  a  first  step  towards  creating  one  or  more  Regional  Fisheries  Management 
Organisations (RFMOs) for the high seas portion of the central Arctic Ocean — an area 

4  COM(2018) 711 final 

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of  around  2.8  million  square  kilometres,  roughly  the  size  of  the  Mediterranean  Sea. 
Under  the  Agreement,  a  joint  programme  of  scientific  research  and  monitoring  will  be 
established to better understand the marine Arctic ecosystem(s). The fishing moratorium 
has been agreed for a period of 16 years after the agreement is ratified, with a possibility 
to be extended, until scientific advice is available to determine sustainable fishing limits. 
This is the first example of prudent management whereby a management regime will be 
put  in  place before  fisheries have started. These  efforts  are complemented by the EU’s 
Copernicus Arctic — Monitoring Forecasting Centre, which provides daily forecasts and 
data on the whole Arctic to support climate and weather forecasting, maritime safety and 
sustainable marine resources management. 

The EU has been a strong driver of strengthening existing regional fisheries management 
bodies and advocating regular performance reviews, including by the Commission for the 
Conservation  of  Antarctic  Marine  Living  Resources  (CCAMLR)  and  the  Northwest 
Atlantic  Fisheries  Organisation.  In  CCAMLR,  for  example,  the  second  performance 
review was done in 2017 following the EU’s proposal. Subsequently, EUR 200.000 were 
provided to support the follow-up of to the recommendations for improving CCAMLR’s 
performance. 

For the Mediterranean and the Black Sea, the EU achieved the adoption of new fisheries 
governance  through  the  MedFish4Ever  and  Sofia  declarations  of  2017.  These  set  out 
concrete  actions  to  ensure  sustainable  exploitation  of  fish  resources,  including  by 
combating  illegal,  unreported  and  unregulated  (IUU)  fishing.  Subsequently,  the  EU 
supported the work of the GFCM in order to facilitate the implementation of the actions 
envisaged in the Malta MedFish4Ever and Sofia Declarations. As a result, the first ever 
International  Control  Scheme  in  the  Strait  of  Sicily  was  adopted  in  2017  and 
implemented  during  2018  in  cooperation  with  EFCA.  Also,  under  the  EU’s  leadership, 
the  General  Fisheries  Commission  for  the  Mediterranean  (GFCM)  has  adopted  new 
conservation and management measures for key stocks (e.g. turbot, European eel, small 
pelagics in the Adriatic, deep water species, and hake in the Strait of Sicily).  

Also,  following  proposals  by  the  EU,  a  new  port  inspection  scheme  was  adopted  by 
SIOFA,  the  existing  scheme  under  the  South  East  Atlantic  Fisheries  Organisation 
strengthened  and  the  Catch  Documentation  Scheme  requirements  in  CCAMLR  to 
improve catch traceability revised. 

The  EU  provided  EUR 17  million  under  the  EMFF  in  2017-2018  for  improving 
governance,  science  and  capacity  building,  and  for  strengthening  compliance  in  the  18 
RFMOs and tuna RFMOs in which the EU participates. This EU action has been paying 
off: at the end of 2018, 15 of the world’s 18 emblematic tuna stocks were at sustainable 
levels, according to scientific advice. This funding was also used to support the creation, 
in 2018, of the regional database on fisheries data and statistics for the Western Central 
Atlantic.  In  nearly  all  RFMOs  responsible  for  tuna  management,  the  EU  promoted  a 
consistent  approach  to  the  management  of  fishing  gear,  notably  by  proposing  the 
adoption of non-entangling designs to reduce impacts on by-catch species. Furthermore 
the EU supports the adoption of RFMO provisions to promote the use of biodegradable 
material. 

In  2017  and  2018,  the  EU  actively  contributed  to  the  preparation  and  adoption  of 
proposals  to  improve  the  monitoring,  control  and  surveillance  framework  in  RFMOs 
including the Indian Ocean Tuna Commission and the Southern Indian Ocean Fisheries 
Agreement  (SIOFA)  in  the  Indian  Ocean  and  in  the  Southern  Ocean  under  CCAMLR 

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and  the  Commission  for  the  Conservation  of  Southern  Bluefin  Tuna.  These  included 
measures to: (i) make the procedure for listing IUU vessels in a number of RFMOs and 
the  cross-listing  of  IUU  vessels  listed  in  RFMOs  more  efficient;  (ii)  address  the 
involvement  of  nationals  in  IUU  activities;  (iii)  integrate  the  Port  State  Measures 
Agreement; (iv) upgrade the requirements regarding vessel monitoring systems; and (v) 
strengthen the work of the compliance committees. The EU also successfully promoted 
the periodical undertaking of performance reviews in several RFMOs. 

Additionally,  the  Horizon  2020  programme  for  research  and  innovation  funded  the 
FarFish  project,  which  supports  RFMOs  with  basic  scientific  knowledge  and  tools  for 
better  fisheries  management  in  international  waters,  and  the  SmartFish  project,  which 
will  introduce  and  test  new  technologies  to  improve  catch  selectivity,  fisheries  data 
quality  and  management  and  advance  monitoring  and  compliance  with  fishery 
regulations.  The  EU  has  also  continued  its  strong  support  for  strengthening  the 
robustness  of science in  all RFMOs in  order to  promote the long-term  sustainability of 
the stocks under their purview. 

  Action  3:  Improving  coordination  and  cooperation  between  international 
organisations and launching Ocean Partnerships for ocean management 

The  success  in  strengthening  regional  ocean  governance  needs  also  to  be  driven  by 
cooperation  across  sectors,  among  regions  and  between  regional  and  global 
organisations. 

The  EU  supported  cooperation  between  the  UN's  International  Labour  Organisation, 
International  Maritime  Organisation  (IMO)  and  Food  and  Agriculture  Organisation 
(FAO)  on  labour  challenges  related  to  IUU  fishing.  It  did  so  to  help  improve 
coordination  and  cooperation  through  and  among  the  various  bodies  with  a  mandate 
relevant  to  oceans,  as  well  as  to  highlight  the  links  between  fisheries  governance,  the 
seafood industry and forced labour.  

Furthermore,  the  EU  continued  to  support  the  so-called  Kobe  process,  which  aims  to 
harmonise  the  activities  of  five  regional  fisheries  organisations  responsible  for  tuna 
management.  EUR  400  000  were  committed  in  2018  to  organising  a  series  of  tuna 
RFMO  coordination  meetings,  in  particular  with  the  objective  of  reducing  negative 
impacts of Fisheries Aggregating Devices (FADs) on the ecosystem and to identify best 
practices to increase survivability of sharks accidentally caught in tuna fisheries. 

Cooperation between global and regional frameworks has also been essential to address 
underwater  noise  issues,  increasingly  acknowledged  as  a  source  of  pollution.  On  this, 
collaboration between IMO and Regional Sea Conventions (RSCs) has been strengthened 
through the promotion of IMO’s guidelines to reduce underwater noise from commercial 
shipping.  The  19th  meeting  of  the  UN  Open-Ended  Informal  Consultative  Process  on 
Oceans  and  the  Law  of  the  Sea  focusing  on  ‘Anthropogenic  underwater  noise’  (18-
22 June 2018) was also a good opportunity for Member States, the EU and various RSCs 
to present their actions at national and regional levels.  

The  EU  committed  to  support  the  establishment  of  the  Partnership  for  Regional  Ocean 
Governance (PROG) Marine Regions Forum at the Our Ocean conference 2017 in Malta 
by  organising  the  first  meeting  of  the  PROG  Marine  Regions  Forum  jointly  with 
Germany in 2019. This will be a cross-sectoral, multi-stakeholder forum for dialogue to 
support  integrated  ocean  governance  for  marine  regions.  The  PROG  is  to  promote 

4 

 
 
 
 
 
integrated regional models for ocean governance and to advance regional cooperation for 
the  conservation  and  sustainable  use  of  marine  ecosystems  and  resources.  The  EU  has 
also  been  supporting  processes  like  the  collaborative  arrangement  between  the 
Convention for the Protection of the Marine Environment of the North-East Atlantic and 
the  North-East  Atlantic  Fisheries  Commission.  Furthermore,  the  EU  participates  in  the 
Sustainable  Ocean  Initiative  Global  Dialogue  by  the  CBD,  which  brings  together 
Regional  Seas  Organisations  and  Regional  Fisheries  Bodies  to  accelerate  progress 
towards  the  Aichi  Biodiversity  Targets  and  Sustainable  Development  Goals.  The 
forthcoming EUR 10 million project for the African Regional Seas is an example of the 
EU's support for strengthening cross-sectoral collaboration across regions. Further efforts 
undertaken included closer collaboration between the EU and UN Environment at  both 
global and regional levels, aiming at reinforcing integrated ocean governance under the 
EC-UN  Environment  Roadmap  for  Healthy  and  Productive  Oceans,  and  further 
strengthening collaboration to achieve SDGs at the sea-basin level. 

Cooperation  within  regions  was  also  strengthened  through  the  EU's  Marine  Strategy 
Framework  Directive5  in  close  cooperation  with  relevant  European  RSCs.  RSCs  in  the 
Baltic  Sea,  the  North-East  Atlantic  Ocean  and  the  Mediterranean  Sea  have  recently 
adopted their respective plans to achieve ‘Good Environmental Status’ or its equivalent 
in their waters. They cooperate with the relevant RFMOs on sets of measures to achieve 
a  healthy  and  productive  marine  environment  by  2020,  based  on  monitoring  and 
assessment. Qualitative assessments of the marine environment were produced by these 
conventions, thereby contributing to achieving this goal.   

Further  support  of  EUR 7.25  million  was  provided  to  the  Barcelona  Convention  for 
developing monitoring and assessment capacities with the aim of measuring progress on 
achieving  Good  Environmental  Status,  advancing  the  implementation  of  the  Regional 
Marine  Litter  Action  Plan  and  further  developing  a  network  of  Mediterranean  Marine 
Protected  Areas.  In 
the 
implementation  of  the  Shared  Environmental  Information  System  by  the  European 
Environment Agency (EEA) and the Secretariat of the Barcelona Convention through a 
support mechanism of EUR 4 million is helping to monitor and reduce marine pollution 
in  the  Mediterranean  by  producing  and  sharing  environmental  data,  indicators  and 
information. 

the  European  Neighbourhood  Policy  South  region6, 

In  its  bilateral  relations,  the  EU  has  reached  out  to  key  ocean  partners  on  upscaling 
existing relations into ocean partnerships. The feedback received has been very positive: 
the EU signed the first Ocean Partnership with China on 16 July 2018 and is expecting to 
sign  a  partnership  with  Canada  in  2019.  Ocean  partnerships  build  on  the  principles, 
objectives and priorities of the international ocean governance agenda with the objective 
of promoting comprehensive dialogue and joint actions for ocean sustainability. 

In  addition,  the  EU  continues  to  participate  in  the  annual  consultations  at  the  United 
Nations on the UN General Assembly Oceans and the Law of the Sea Resolution. Such 
resolutions encourage states to work closely with and through international organisations, 
funds and programmes, as well as the specialised agencies of the UN system and relevant 
international conventions, to identify emerging areas of focus for improved coordination 

5 Directive 2008/56/EC  
6 The European Neighbourhood Policy-South region covers 10 non-EU Mediterranean countries: Algeria, 

Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Palestine, Syria and Tunisia. 

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and cooperation and how best to address these issues. UN-Oceans is the interagency UN 
mechanism that seeks to strengthen the coordination, coherence and effectiveness of the 
competent  UN  organisations  on oceans  and law  of the sea issues. The consultations on 
the 2019 Resolution will seek to update the terms of reference of UN-Oceans to reflect 
the latest developments on oceans and the law of the sea. 

  Action 4: Capacity building 

The  EU  has  been  actively  engaged  in  promoting  better  ocean  governance  with  third 
partners,  programming  EUR 590  million  under  its  development  policy  for  2014-2020. 
This  includes  sustainable  fisheries  and  aquaculture,  marine  protected  areas  and  coastal 
zone  management,  climate  mitigation  in  the  maritime  transport  sector,  harbour 
infrastructures  and  maritime  security.  In  particular,  the  EU  has  committed  EUR 35 
million  to  the  Pacific-European  Union  Marine  Partnership  Programme  (PEUMP)7  to 
support,  in  15  Pacific  states  in  the  African,  Caribbean  and  Pacific  (ACP)  Group.  This 
funding will support sustainable management and the development of fisheries for food 
security and economic growth, while addressing IUU fishing, climate change resilience 
and  conservation  of  marine  biodiversity  challenges.  PEUMP  will  strengthen  capacity 
building through education, training and research. The programme brings three regional 
agencies — the Secretariat of the Pacific Community, the Fisheries Forum Agency and 
the  Secretariat  of  the  Pacific  Regional  Environment  Programme—  together  with  the 
University  of  the  South  Pacific  and  several  non-governmental  organisations.  Regular 
sector policy dialogues between the EU and the Pacific countries will be organised in the 
framework of PEUMP. 

In addition, the EU will provide EUR 17 million to help Pacific countries address issues 
relating to health and well-being, marine litter and biodiversity conservation (PacWaste 
Plus  programme8). This  programme  will support  more recycling  and circular economic 
development in the Pacific. 

The  EU  also  committed  EUR 15  million  under  the  PESCAO  programme  to  improve 
regional  fisheries  governance  in  Western  Africa9  and  for  the  building  of  monitoring, 
control  and  surveillance  capacities  to  deter  IUU  fishing.  Furthermore,  the  EU  has 
earmarked  EUR 28  million  to  support  the  development  of  sustainable  fisheries  through 
the  ECOFISH  programme,10  supporting  sustainable  management  and  development  of 
fisheries  for  food  security  and  economic  growth,  while  addressing  climate  change 
resilience  and  conservation  of  marine  biodiversity.  In  particular,  ECOFISH  strengthens 
regional capacity to  prevent,  deter and eliminate  IUU fishing in  the African part of the 
Indian  Ocean  region  and  support  concrete  fisheries  management  and  governance 
initiatives in small-scale marine and inland fisheries. 

At national level, the new CAPFISH-Capture Fisheries programme11 in Cambodia with a 
EUR 87 million budget aims at ensuring more sustainable, climate-resilient and inclusive 
growth  of  Cambodia’s  freshwater  and  marine  fisheries.  It  seeks  in  particular  to 

7 https://ec.europa.eu/europeaid/sites/devco/files/aap-financing-pacific-part2-annex1-c_2017_4903_en.pdf 
8https://ec.europa.eu/europeaid/sites/devco/files/aap-financing-pacificregion_2018part1-annex1-

c_2018_204_en.pdf 

9 https://ec.europa.eu/europeaid/annual-action-programme-2017in-favour-western-africa-action-document-
improved-regional-fisheries_en 
10 https://ec.europa.eu/europeaid/sites/devco/files/c-2018-4132-f1-annex_2-sustainable-fisheries.pdf 
11 https://ec.europa.eu/europeaid/sites/devco/files/aap-financing-cambodia-annex1-c_2018_8706_en.pdf 

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strengthen the management, conservation and control systems in Cambodia's inland and 
marine fisheries,  help  the private sector develop  and improve the livelihoods of fishing 
communities. 

In addition, in February 2018 the EU launched four regional projects in Africa under its 
Copernicus  satellite-monitoring  programme.  These  bring  together  18  African  countries 
and  the  African  Union  to  develop  services  related  to  fisheries  and  aquaculture,  coastal 
vulnerability  and  risk  management,  monitoring  of  coastal  ecosystems  and  of  shipping 
traffic, and to develop regional ocean forecast centres in Africa and the Indian Ocean.  

Jointly  with  the  EU,  the  World  Bank  has  devised  an  innovative  Blue  Economy 
Development  Framework to  help  coastal states make the transition  to  'blue' economies. 
Multi-dimensional  diagnostics  will  help  governments  of  the  South  Atlantic,  Southeast 
Asia,  the  Gulf  of  Guinea  regions  and  Small  Island  Developing  States  to  develop 
evidence-based investment and policy reform plans for their coastal and ocean resources 
and to generate more value from 'blue' sectors. 

The  EU  has  also  provided  support  to  EFCA  to  undertake  various  capacity-building 
actions  for  fisheries  inspectors  in  non-EU  countries.  Training  has  been  delivered  to 
Mediterranean  and  Black  Sea  countries,  with  specific  training  provided  to  Morocco, 
Algeria,  Tunisia  and  Ukraine  in  2017.  EFCA  is  expected  to  extend  its  support  for 
capacity building under the PESCAO and ECOFISH projects and to additional non-EU 
countries  in  the  Mediterranean  Sea  under  MEDFISH4EVER.  EMSA  is  providing 
technical assistance in the Mediterranean through the EUR 4 million EuroMed Transport 
Maritime Project (SAFEMED IV). With a view to implementing the maritime aspects of 
the UfM Regional Transport Action Plan 2014-2020, the overall objectives of the project 
are, inter alia,  improved maritime safety, improved security of ships and port facilities, 
reduced  pollution  to  the  marine  environment,  improved  level  of  maritime  training  and 
qualification of seafarers, improved living and working conditions on board ships. 

Lastly,  the  EU  will  invest  EUR 9.2  million  to  support  the  work  of  RSCs  in  ACP 
regions.12 The EU and the ACP Group of states, representing the large majority of Small 
Island Developing States, stand  united in  promoting  effective  global actions to  manage 
and  use  the  world’s  oceans  and  their  resources  in  ways  that  keep  the  oceans  healthy, 
productive, safe, secure and resilient. On access to, use, and management of vital marine 
resources,  they  have  agreed  to  cooperate  to  increase  convergence  towards  mutual 
commitments and undertake tangible actions to strengthen ocean governance worldwide. 
A new Support Programme of EUR 35 million for ACP Small Island Developing States 
(SIDS)  and  Coastal  Countries  will  contribute  to  the  sustainable  development  of  ACP 
SIDS and coastal countries by supporting and improving the protection, management and 
sustainable  use  of  marine  and  coastal  resources  at  regional,  national  and  local  levels, 
through  targeted  capacity  building,  strengthening  knowledge-based  decision-making, 
grass-root  pilot  projects,  and  enhancing  intra-  and  inter-regional  cooperation  for 
environmental sustainability. 

The EU has taken concrete steps to extend the scope of Sustainable Fisheries Partnership 
Agreements (SFPAs) to broader maritime issues. In this context, a list of concrete project 
proposals to support SDG14 implementation is now being reviewed together with SFPA 

12 http://ec.europa.eu/transparency/regdoc/rep/3/2018/EN/C-2018-8738-F1-EN-ANNEX-7-PART-1.PDF 

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countries.  The  Seychelles  and  Mauritius  have  already  identified  developing  their  'blue' 
economy as a priority under their SFPAs. Overall, by November 2018, ten SFPAs were 
in  place  with  an  overall  budget  of  EUR  135  million  per  year.  Three  additional  SFPAs 
have been negotiated and should enter into force in the near future. 

In the Mediterranean, the SWITCH-MED programme has been implemented by the EU 
in  close  cooperation  with  the  UN  with  the  objectives  of  creating  jobs  and  boosting  the 
economy  in  the  Mediterranean,  while  contributing  directly  to  reducing  pollution  from 
industrial  activities  and  increasing  the  re-use  and  recycling  of  material  to  limit  waste. 
During  its  first  phase  (2014-2018),  the  project  contributed  to  saving  natural  resources 
(water, energy and raw material) for an annual amount of more than 41 million euros in 
125 businesses and generated 30 000 jobs. The measures implemented by the industries 
will save annually around 700 GWh of energy, 3 500 000 m3 of water and 33 000 tons of 
raw material. It will avoid more than 190 000 tons of CO2 and more than 19 000 tons of 
solid  waste.  Because  of  its  impact  and  its  success,  SWITCH  will  be  continued  and 
several  countries  in  the  Mediterranean  region  transposed  the  project  into  their  national 
cooperation  framework.  The  Switch  initiative  was  launched  by  the  Commission  to 
enhance  international  progress  towards  a  green  transition.   Regional  programmes  exist 
also in Asia and Africa. 

  Action 5: Ensuring the safety and security of seas and oceans 

The EU plays an important  role  as  a  global maritime security provider, in line with  its 
Global  Strategy  and  relevant  EU  regional  policies,  in  particular  for  the  Horn  of  Africa 
and  the  Gulf  of  Guinea.  In  this  context,  the  EU  committed  EUR  29  million  under  the 
Support to West Africa Integrated Maritime Security (SWAIMS) EDF-funded project to 
support  the  implementation  of  the  Economic  Community  of  West  African  States 
(ECOWAS)  Integrated  Maritime  Strategy  and  improve  maritime  security  and  safety  in 
the Gulf of Guinea. Furthermore, starting in 2019, an EUR 8.5 million project aiming at 
"Improving Port  Security  in  West  and Central  Africa"  will support partner countries in 
West and Central Africa in their capacity to adequately address increasing vulnerabilities 
related to port security through assistance to comply with the International Ship and Port 
Facility  Security  (ISPS)  standards  and  through  support  to  increase  resilience  and 
preparedness to crisis such as attacks or explosions. The pilot phase will focus on West 
and Central Africa. 

Progress in implementing the EU Maritime Security Strategy (EUMSS) was presented in 
June  2017  with  the  second  implementation  report  on  the  EUMSS  action  plan,  in 
particular  in  terms  of  increased  cross-sectoral  cooperation13.  On  26 June  2018,  the 
Council revised the EUMSS Action Plan and the accompanying Council Conclusions. It 
did so to ensure that the policy response remains fit for current and future challenges, in 
line  with  political  priorities  in  a  rapidly  changing  security  environment,  and  to  take 
account  of  recently  adopted  EU  legislation,  policies  and  other  security  and  defence 
initiatives. Whereas the original 2014 EUMSS Action Plan addressed global challenges 
through  horizontal  actions,  the  revised  one  takes  a  more  tailor-made  approach  through 
regional  responses  in  EU  sea  basins  like  the  Mediterranean  and  the  Black  Sea  and 
internationally in the Gulf of Guinea, Horn of Africa-Red Sea and Southeast Asia. 

13 WK 10494/18 INIT 

8 

 
 
 
 
 
                                                 
Cooperation between EMSA, the European Border and Coast Guard Agency and EFCA 
is  well  established  and  is  leading  to  concrete  and  tangible  results.  This  interagency 
cooperation  has  been  tested  for  18  months  through  a  project  to  strengthen  synergies 
between them and enable them to better support the activities of more than 300 civilian 
and military coastguard authorities in the Member States. Progress has been particularly 
notable on exchanges of information and sharing of assets for multipurpose missions. For 
example, in the first 10 months of 2018 EFCA received 964 vessel-sighting forms from 
the European Border and Coast Guard Agency, mainly for the Mediterranean Sea area. 

As  from  2018,  EFCA  chartered  and  managed  the  multipurpose  offshore  patrol  vessel  
Lundy Sentinel. This additional control capacity supported Member States in all relevant 
sea basins in  carrying out fisheries surveillance and control as well as other coastguard 
functions.  In  line  with  interagency  cooperation,  the  Lundy  Sentinel  was  available  to 
support border surveillance, including any emergency response and rescue operations. 

On maritime  awareness, the EU continues to  promote a  coherent  approach to  maritime 
surveillance across the EU by fostering better complementarity of information exchange, 
building upon existing mandatory systems in Union law and voluntary initiatives such as 
the Common Information Sharing Environment (CISE), in line with action A.2. 1 of the 
EUMSS  Action  Plan.    CISE  has  been  further  developed  in  particular  through  the  EU 
CISE 2020 Pre-Operational Validation project. A transitional phase is to be put in place 
(2019 – 2020) building on the results of the EUCISE2020 and with the involvement of 
EMSA  in  order  to  reach  operational  capacity  post-2020.  The  Commission  will  then 
examine the need for a policy initiative to support its operational implementation, taking 
into account the review conducted in 2018 to assess the progress of CISE development in 
the 2014 – 2018 period.     

As  initially  planned,  the  Copernicus  programme  supported  safety  at  sea.  It  did  so  by 
delivering  daily  marine  environmental  forecasts  for  ship  routing  or  offshore  operations 
(e.g. currents,  waves, sea levels,  temperatures, ice) and by supporting operations at  sea 
from  EMSA  covering  European  regional  sea  basins,  but  also  international  trade  routes 
and worldwide hotspots on request.  For example, services were delivered on request to 
the UN Office of Drugs and Crime and in support of an international search and rescue 
operation in the South Atlantic in 2017. 

Lastly, the Copernicus programme continued to support EU agencies such as EMSA, the 
European  Border  and  Coast  Guard  Agency  and  EFCA  as  well  as  EU  Member  State 
authorities  and  regional  partner  organisations  in  improving  maritime  safety  and  border 
control activities, identifying and combating illegal fishing worldwide, and detecting and 
combating oil pollution through space observation and data intelligence. 

PILLAR 2: REDUCING PRESSURE ON OCEANS AND SEAS AND CREATING THE CONDITIONS 
FOR A SUSTAINABLE BLUE ECONOMY 

  Action  6:  Implementing  the  COP21  Agreement  and  mitigating  the  harmful 

impact of climate change on oceans, coastlines and ecosystems 

The EU has recognised the importance of the oceans and climate issue and is committed 
to engaging in this domain. The EU is promoting and developing ocean-related action to 

9 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
implement  the  Paris  Agreement,  such  as  nature-based  solutions  and  ocean-based 
renewable energy. 

These elements were reiterated in the new strategic vision for achieving a climate-neutral 
Europe by 2050 adopted by the Commission in November 201814. It lists the overriding 
priorities that should guide the transition  to  a climate-neutral  Europe. These include (i) 
promoting  a  sustainable  bio-economy;  (ii)  diversifying  agriculture,  animal  farming, 
aquaculture and forestry production, further increasing productivity while also  adapting 
to  climate  change  itself;  (iii)  preserving  and  restoring  ecosystems;  and  (iv)  ensuring 
sustainable  use  and  management  of  natural  land  and  aquatic  and  marine  resources. 
Healthy  coastal  ecosystems  absorb  emissions  and  help  communities  adapt  to  climate 
hazards.  In  addition  to  climate  benefits,  protecting  coastal  ecosystems  will  also  help 
reverse the trend of marine biodiversity decline.  

Since  2017,  the  EU  has  dedicated  specific  funding  to  restore  marine  and  coastal 
ecosystems in different regions around the world, including the Mediterranean, Southeast 
Asia, and the ACP countries for a total of more than EUR 90 million.  Furthermore, the 
EU is promoting offshore wind and ocean energy for providing clean energy to islands 
and  coastlines  in  the  EU  and  across  the  world.  For  instance,  in  line  with  the  revised 
Renewable  Energies  Directive,  the  EU  is  mobilising  technical  expertise  to  help  India 
launch the tender of its first offshore wind farm this year and to support the development 
of  a  new  offshore  wind  energy  market,  aligned  with  best  environmental,  societal  and 
technical practices. The EU has earmarked EUR 2.3 million for this purpose. 

Furthermore, the Clean Energy for EU Islands initiative, launched in May 2017, aims to 
accelerate the clean energy transition on EU islands, ensuring they have secure and low-
cost  energy  and  creating  local  jobs.  In  June  2018  the  secretariat  of  the  initiative  was 
tasked  with  creating  a  database  of  best  practices  that  will  be  shared  with  island  states 
across the world. 

Reducing  shipping  emissions  is  also  of  prime  importance  in  the  fight  against  climate 
change. The April 2018 IMO agreement on an initial strategy on reducing CO2 emissions 
together with ambitious targets for the maritime sector is a significant step forward. For 
this initial  strategy to  succeed, it is  now  crucial  that effective and substantial  reduction 
measures  are  developed  and  swiftly  adopted  and  put  in  place  from  2023.  The  EU  is 
committed  to  continue  playing  an  active  role  and  pursuing  strong  global  action  on 
shipping emissions. 

Against  this  background,  the  EU  has  committed  EUR 10  million15  to  establish,  in 
cooperation with IMO, a global network of Maritime Technology Cooperation Centres in 
five regions: Africa, Asia, the Caribbean, Latin America and the Pacific. The objective is 
to  help  countries  improve  the  efficiency  of  shipping,  and  thus  limit  and  reduce 
greenhouse  gas  emissions  from  their  shipping  sectors,  through  technical  assistance  and 
capacity  building.  Furthermore  Horizon  2020  and  its  successor  programme  Horizon 
Europe  will  support  the  development  of  the  innovative  solutions  necessary  to 
substantially decarbonise shipping in line with the IMO’s initial CO2 reduction strategy. 

14 COM(2018) 773 final 
15https://ec.europa.eu/europeaid/projects/capacity-building-climate-mitigation-maritime-shipping-

industry_en 

10 

 
 
 
                                                 
For example, EUR 20 million will be invested within the final calls of Horizon 2020 to 
support the decarbonisation of long distance shipping.  

At  the  IMO,  the  EU  successfully  insisted  on  a  reduction  in  sulphur  in  shipping  fuel 
effective  from  1  January  2020.  This  2020  global  sulphur  cap  on  fuel  and  a 
complementary  ban  on  the  carriage  of  non-compliant  fuel  oil  for  combustion  purposes 
were adopted by IMO in October 2018, also effective from 1 January 2020. 

Lastly,  the  European  Commission  renewed  its  commitment  to  the  ocean  and  climate 
agenda at the 23rd and 24th annual conferences of the UN Climate Change Convention by 
by  taking  part  in  their  Oceans  Action  Days  and  organising  the  first  ever  dedicated  EU 
Oceans Action Day. 

  Action  7:  Fighting 

illegal  fishing  and  strengthening  the  sustainable 

management of ocean food resources globally 

In  2018,  the  Commission  proposed  modernising  and  simplifying  the  way  fishing  rules 
are monitored and complied with within the EU by revising the 2009 Fisheries Control 
Regulation16. Among other things, the Commission proposed amending the provisions on 
the  registration  and  weighing  of  catches  in  order  to  obtain  more  complete  and  reliable 
fisheries  data.  It  also  proposed  strengthening  the  rules  on  serious  infringements  and 
sanctions to ensure that they are applied equally to all operators. 

Furthermore, since the adoption of the IUU Regulation, the EU has entered into dialogue 
on  IUU  fishing  matters  with  more  than  50  countries  in  all  the  major  fishing  regions17. 
Thanks  to  these  dialogues,  14  countries  have  successfully  reformed  their  control  and 
management systems in line with their international obligations as flag, coastal, port and 
market states responsibilities18. The EU also signed a Joint Statement with South Korea 
on  efforts  to  combat  IUU  fishing.  This  signature  resulted  from  the  good  results  of  the 
EU-Republic  of  Korea  Working  Group  established  after  the  lifting  of  the  IUU  'yellow 
card' in April 2015. 

Since 2016, five non-EU countries have been pre-identified by the EU as having vessels 
that engaged in IUU activities and have received a warning (‘yellow card’). Furthermore, 
two countries have been blacklisted (‘red card’) after failing to address their problems in 
tackling IUU fishing, leading to an export ban to the EU. Since 2016, six countries have 
seen  their  pre-identification  or  identification  revoked.  A  further  seven  remain  pre-
identified and three remain identified and blacklisted. Meanwhile, the EU is developing 
an electronic catch certification system (CATCH) to strengthen Member States' controls 
on the legality of fish products exported to the EU market.  The CATCH version 1.0 will 
be presented  in the first half of 2019. 

The EU has also engaged in multilateral action, in particular: 

  The creation of a global fleet register. The EU has actively participated in the work of 
the  Global  Record  Informal  Open-Ended  Technical  Advisory  Working  Group  and 

16  COM/2018/368 final 
17 (EC) No 1005/2008  
18 

https://ec.europa.eu/fisheries/sites/fisheries/files/illegal-fishing-overview-of-existing-procedures-third-
countries_en.pdf  

11 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
                                                 
three  specialised  Core  Working  Groups.  This  work  is  important  to  ensure  optimal 
technological  compatibility  between  the  FAO  and  the  data  providers  of  the  Global 
Record as promoted by the EU. The Global Record is a fundamental tool for fighting 
IUU fishing as it makes information available. 

  The  allocation  of  a  unique  vessel  identifier  (IMO  number)  to  commercial  fishing 

vessels. IMO numbers are applied to fishing vessels above 100 GT. 

  By  playing  a  leading  role  in  the  negotiations  that  led  to  the  adoption  of  Voluntary 

Guidelines for Catch Documentation Schemes at FAO in July 2017. 

  By  effectively  strengthening  cooperation  with  INTERPOL  on  IUU  fishing-related 
issues and efforts  to  increase  cooperation between Member States and  INTERPOL. 
The European Commission will pursue its efforts. 

Following the entry into force in June 2016 of the FAO Port State Measures Agreement 
to prevent, deter and eliminate IUU fishing, the EU has promoted further ratification of 
the  agreement  worldwide  and  volunteered  to  host  the  Port  State  Measures  Agreement 
Review  Conference  in  2020.  In  line  with  part  VI  of  the  Agreement,  the  EU  has 
furthermore  granted  a  contribution  of  EUR 1.525 million  through  the  EMFF  to  FAO's 
capacity-building  programme.  The  12-month  2018  project  will  support  up  to  eight 
developing  countries  in  strengthening  national  policy,  legislative  frameworks  and 
national means and competencies to combat IUU fishing. This will be done through port 
state  measures  and  complementary  coordinated  monitoring,  control  and  surveillance 
operations, measures and tools, including the Global Record. An important deliverable of 
the  project  will  be  the  establishment  of  a  FAO  capacity-development  portal.  This  is  to 
provide transparency and information on relevant capacity-development initiatives under 
projects  and  programmes  by  donors,  international  financial  institutions  and  other 
intergovernmental and non-governmental organisations. 

In addition, as stated under Action 4, the EU is providing dedicated development funding 
to  Africa,  the  Pacific  and  the  Indian  Ocean  region  to  support  the  development  and 
management  of  sustainable  fisheries.  This  includes  action  to  help  increase  capacity  to 
combat IUU fishing. 

Since  mid-2016,  EFCA,  supported  by  the  European  Maritime  Safety  Agency  (EMSA), 
has implemented a pilot project called Integrated Maritime Services to assist and increase 
IUU deterrence worldwide (e.g. West African coast, North Atlantic and Arctic areas).  

Lastly, since 17 January 2018 a new EU Regulation on the Sustainable Management of 
External  Fleets19  applies.  The  Regulation  on  the  Sustainable  Management  of  External 
Fishing fleets is of prime importance in strengthening the EU's role as a key global actor 
in  international  fisheries.  Its  objective  is  to  put  in  place  a  comprehensive  system  of 
fishing  authorisations  for  EU  vessels  to  fish  outside  Union  waters.  The  system  applies 
wherever  the  fishing  activity  takes  place,  based  on  strict  eligibility  criteria,  in  order  to 
ensure that fish are caught in a sustainable manner. This  covers any situation where an 
EU vessel is fishing outside EU waters. 

19 (EU) 2017/2403  

12 

 
 
 
 
 
                                                 
In the framework of the Trade and Sustainable Development Chapters of its Free Trade 
Agreements,  the  EU  also  negotiates  provisions  that  aim  to  eliminate  trade  in  products 
stemming from IUU fishing. 

  Action 8: Banning harmful fisheries subsidies 

In  October  2016  the  EU  tabled  a  comprehensive  proposal  at  the  World  Trade 
Organisation (WTO) which was aligned with the 2020 deadline set in target 14.6 of the 
UN  2030  Agenda  for  Sustainable  Development.  The  objective  was  to  achieve  an 
agreement at the WTO Ministerial Conference MC11 held in Buenos Aires in December 
2017. With this objective in mind, the EU put forward a revised proposal at the WTO in 
July 2017 to prohibit certain forms of fisheries subsidies that contribute to overcapacity 
and overfishing, eliminate subsidies that contribute to IUU fishing, and require states to 
refrain  from  introducing  new  subsidies  of  this  kind.  The  proposal  also  contained 
provisions  on  strengthening  transparency  and  guidelines  on  special  and  differential 
treatment for developing and least developed countries. Despite the efforts undertaken by 
the  EU  and  other  members,  a  binding  agreement  could  not  be  reached  and  discussions 
were postponed until the next Ministerial Conference. The EU remains actively engaged 
in efforts to reach an agreement to ban fisheries subsidies that contribute to overfishing, 
overcapacity and IUU fishing by 2020 at the latest. 

Following the same line, the Commission’s proposal for the post-2020 EMFF20 proposes 
to maintain the ban on capacity-enhancing subsidies for the EU fleet.  

  Action 9: Fighting marine litter and the ‘sea of plastic’  

In response to SDG 14 target 1 and as part of its Communication on Closing the loop  - 
the  Circular  Economy21, 
the  Commission  adopted  a 
An  EU  action  plan  for 
Communication  setting  out  an  European  Strategy  for  Plastics  in  a  Circular  Economy22 
and presented a legislative proposal for a new Directive on Port Reception Facilities23 as 
part  of  the  strategy  in  January  2018.  The  legislative  proposal  seeks  to  ensure  that  all 
waste from ships, including fishing vessels and recreational craft is delivered to adequate 
port reception facilities. The new Directive, expected to enter into force in the first half 
of 2019, will be a key instrument to  address  marine litter from  sea-based sources. This 
provides a comprehensive approach to curbing leakage of plastic waste and microplastics 
into the environment, notably the marine environment, irrespective of their source.  

As a follow-up, in May 2018 the European Commission proposed new rules targeting the 
10 single-use plastic products most often found on beaches and seas in Europe, as well as 
lost  and  abandoned  fishing  gear24.  This  initiative  also  complements  the  proposal  for  a 
review  of  the  Fisheries  Control  System,  which  will  improve  the  rules  on  reporting  lost 
fishing gear, e.g. through the introduction of e-reporting, and on its retrieval. 

Leading by example, the Commission has phased out all single-use plastic cups in water 
fountains and vending machines in all its buildings and at all meetings.  It achieved this 
by, among other things, improving its green public procurement in 2017. 

20  2018/0210 (COD) 
21 COM(2015) 614 final 
22 COM(2018) 28 final 
23 COM(2018) 33 final 
24 COM(2018) 340 final 

13 

 
 
 
                                                 
As the European Strategy for Plastics in a Circular Economy requires improved mapping 
and monitoring of marine litter, the EU secured specific funding, through the EMFF, to 
develop marine litter baselines as part of the implementation of the Marine Framework 
Directive. Maps of litter distribution with common standards are now available through 
the European Maritime Observation and Data Network (EMODnet). Additional financing 
of  EUR 2  million  through  the  EMFF  was  earmarked  in  2017  to  support  the  reduction, 
monitoring  and  quantification,  removal  and  recycling  of  marine  litter.  The  EMFF  also 
envisages  investment  of  EUR 22  million  to  support  fishing  for  litter  operations.  In 
addition  to  the  EMFF,  other  EU  funding  programmes  like  Horizon  2020,  LIFE  or  the 
European  Regional  Development  Fund  (ERDF)  also  finance  actions  to  prevent,  reduce 
and  retrieve  marine  litter.  For  instance,  since  November  2016  the  EU  has  funded  four 
projects on marine litter (CLAIM, GoJelly, TOPIOS and CM) worth a total of EUR 13 
million  through  Horizon  2020.  The  projects  will  improve  the  understanding  of  marine 
litter  pathways  and  develop  technologies  to  remove  marine  litter  and  microplastics. 
Marelitt Baltic Sea funded with  EUR 3 million through the ERDF developed an action 
plan called “The  Baltic  Sea  Blueprint”  which provides  guidance on mapping,  retrieval, 
recycling  and  prevention  of  lost  fishing  gear.  Another  EUR  2.4  million  through  the 
ERDF  support  the  CleanAtlantic  project.  It  aims  at  improving  capabilities  to  monitor, 
prevent and remove marine litter. 

Furthermore, the EEA has developed a Marine Litter Watch mobile app to strengthen the 
knowledge base and provide support to policy making. The EEA citizen science project 
has been monitoring beach litter since 2015 and thereby providing data for EU legislation 
and helping to change human behavior in order to prevent and reduce litter in our oceans. 

the  regional  front, 

On 
the  development  and 
the  EU  has  actively  supported 
implementation  of  action  plans  against  marine  litter  in  the  Northeast  Atlantic,  the 
Mediterranean and the Baltic under the RSCs. The EU has also provided funding of EUR 
1.4 million for a Barcelona Convention project implementing the Mediterranean Action 
Plan  and  supporting  the  development  of  such  a  plan  for  the  Black  Sea,  which  was 
adopted by the  Black Sea Commission  in  2018.  Furthermore, the EU has proposed the 
adoption of measures to prevent marine pollution associated with fishing activities in all 
RFMOs to which it is Party. In addition, almost EUR 1 million has been dedicated under 
the  EMFF  to  promote  the  development  and  testing  of  biodegradable  materials  in  the 
construction of fish aggregating devices in all tuna RFMOs. 

On  the  international  front,  at  the  third  UN  Environment  Assembly  (UNEA-3)  in 
December 2017 the EU supported the adoption of the UNEA Resolution on marine litter 
and  microplastics.  This  promotes  the  development  and  implementation  of  action  plans 
for  preventing  marine  litter  and  the  discharge  of  microplastics.  It  also  calls  for 
accelerated  action  and  strengthened  partnerships 
litter  and 
microplastics, as well as the establishment of an Ad Hoc Open Ended Expert Group to 
identify  potential  options  for  continued  work  for  consideration  by  UNEA.  The  EU  is 
actively  participating  in  this  expert  group  and  seeking  ways  to  improve  international 
governance  to  address  the  marine  litter  and  microplastics  challenges  that  build  on 
existing  instruments  and  address  the  gaps.  The  EU  supported  the  'marine  litter  lab' 
campaign together with partners in 2018. 

to  combat  marine 

Furthermore,  during  FAO  technical  consultations  held  in  February  2018  the  EU  was 
actively engaged in the adoption of Voluntary Guidelines on the marking of fishing gear. 
The  guidelines  provide  guidance  on  how  to  implement  a  gear  marking  system,  how  to 

14 

 
 
control  and  enforce  it,  and  how  to  report  and  recover  abandoned,  lost  or  otherwise 
discarded fishing gear. The EU supported the endorsement of these Voluntary Guidelines 
by the FAO’s Committee on  Fisheries in  July 2018. The EU also  supported requesting 
FAO  to  develop  a  comprehensive  global  strategy  to  address  such  gear  and  encourage 
states to develop action plans to deal with it. 

Under the G7, the EU was also actively engaged in the negotiations on the Ocean Plastics 
Charter,  which  builds  on  the  objectives  of  the  EU  Strategy  for  Plastics  in  a  Circular 
Economy  and  on  its  life  cycle  approach  to  plastics  management.  The  Charter  was 
endorsed by the EU together with the leaders of Canada, France, Germany, Italy and the 
United Kingdom. 

Moreover,  through  the  Partnership  Instrument  the  EU  is  supporting  a  dedicated  project 
worth EUR 9 million to address marine litter at source in hot-spot countries and rivers in 
East  and  Southeast  Asia.  The  EU  will  furthermore  provide  EUR 17  million  to  help 
Pacific  countries  build  waste  management  programmes  and  address  issues  relating  to 
health and well-being, marine litter and biodiversity conservation. 

As regards the issue of marine litter from ships, the EU is involved in the discussions in 
the IMO on the newly established action plan on marine litter, which was adopted by the 
IMO in October 2018. Under this action plan, measures will be developed in the coming 
years to reduce marine plastic litter from fishing vessels, as well as from other ships, to 
improve  the  effectiveness  of  port  reception  facilities,  and  to  enhance  understanding, 
public awareness, and training of seafarers. 

Lastly, Europol, with the support of EFCA, EMSA and the European Border and Coast 
Guard  Agency  collaborated  with  INTERPOL  in  an  unprecedented  international  law 
enforcement  operation  to  fight  maritime  pollution  in  2018.  The  operation,  code-named 
30 Days at Sea, brought together some 276 law enforcement and environmental agencies 
across 58 countries to take targeted action to tackle crime against marine pollution law. 
The  results  were  outstanding,  with  3 891  actions  worldwide  detecting  356  pollution 
incidents. These led to 120 arrests and 436 administrative cases of prosecution for illegal 
discharges of oil and garbage from vessels, shipbreaking, breaches of shipping emissions 
regulations, river pollution and land-based run-off into the sea. 

  Action 10: Promoting maritime spatial planning (MSP) at global level 

The  European  Commission  has  been  jointly  working  with  the  Intergovernmental 
Oceanographic Commission  of UNESCO (IOC-UNESCO) under the March 2017 Joint 
Roadmap that sketches out a vision and a role for MSP in implementing Agenda 2030. 

Based on the experience of the EU and IOC-UNESCO, the Commission aims to develop 
together  with  IOC-UNESCO  a  set  of  guidelines  focusing  in  particular  on  cross-border 
MSP. In May 2018 the Commission and IOC-UNESCO launched the International MSP 
Forum that will work on these guidelines. To this end, under the EMFF the Commission 
has  granted  a  EUR 1.4  million  contribution  to  IOC-UNESCO.  This  includes  two  pilot 
projects on MSP cooperation, in the Western Mediterranean and the Southeast Pacific. 

Moreover,  the  EU  is  supporting  MSP  in  the  South-Western  Indian  Ocean  through  a 
project coordinated by the EU outermost region of Reunion Island. This project, with an 
EU  contribution  of  around  EUR 1  million,  is  supported  by  the  intergovernmental 
organisation of the Indian Ocean State Islands. 

15 

 
 
 
  Action  11:  Achieving  the  global  target  of  conserving  10 %  of  marine  and 
coastal  areas  and  promoting  the  effective  management  of  marine  protected 
areas (MPAs) 

The EU has been a strong advocate for the delivery of the global targets to establish and 
conserve  Marine  Protected  Areas  under  the  CBD  and  other  relevant  fora.  It  cooperates 
closely  with  relevant  regional  and  global  organisations  for  that.  The  EU  has  already 
designated 10.8% of its marine and coastal areas as MPAs, primarily through the Natura 
2000  network,  and  is  actively  engaged  in  putting  in  place  adequate  conservation 
measures  for  them.  It  is  also  promoting  the  effective  management  of  MPAs  in  various 
regions and countries.  

The  EU  provides  support  for  MPAs  through  a  number  of  its  financing  instruments 
available  for  different  categories  of  beneficiaries  (e.g.  the  LIFE  programme,  the 
European  Neighbourhood  and  Partnership  Instrument,  the  Global  Public  Goods  and 
Challenges  programme  and  the  Partnership  Instrument).  It  has  also  regularly  supported 
the work programmes dedicated to coordinated action on MPAs of the RSCs to which it 
is party. 

In addition, the EU, in collaboration with all the RSCs where it is a contracting party, has 
been developing studies to establish coherent and effective networks of MPAs and thus 
maximise their ecological and socio-economic benefits. For instance, an ongoing project 
focused  on  the  Mediterranean  Sea  will  analyse  the  coherence  of  MPA  networks 
providing indicators and examples that can be applied in other regions. The final results 
will arrive, and a final conference will be held, in the first half of 2019. 

The  European  Commission  has  furthermore  dedicated  EUR 1  million  to  an  MPA 
twinning project on best practices and networking for MPA managers in the Atlantic area 
from Europe to Africa, North America and South America. As a result of the project, the 
networks  drafted  a  Common  Strategy  for  a  continued  partnership  and  issued  a  Call  for 
Joint  Action  at  the  Fourth  International  Marine  Protected  Areas  Congress  (IMPAC4) 
held in Chile, which generated political impact. This followed joint statements issued at 
the international parks congress in Hawaii in 2016 and the New York SDG 14 conference 
in June 2017. The Commission will provide further support for the effective management 
of MPAs in the Atlantic and Southeast Asia. It committed EUR 10 million to the action 
in  the  coral  triangle  focusing  on  an  integrated  seascape  management  for  sustainable 
development  of  local  communities,  combining  activities  addressing  the  expansion  and 
management reinforcement of the MPAs network, sustainable small-scale fisheries, and 
ecosystem management for climate change adaptation.25 Support has also been provided 
to  the  management  of  protected  areas,  including  MPAs,  in  African,  Caribbean  and 
Pacific  countries  through  the  programme  BIOPAMA  II  (Biodiversity  and  Protected 
Areas  Management  Programme)26.  Out  of  the  total  amount  of  EUR  60  million,  it  is 
estimated that EUR 20 million would be used to fund ocean related activities. The action 
is  structured  around  the  work  of  a  series  of  Regional  Observatories  (RO)  for  protected 
areas across the ACP managed by regional institutions, and housing Regional Reference 

25 Annual Action Programme 2018 of the GPGC-MIP 2014-2020 
26  Annual  Action  Programme  2016  in  favour  of  intra-ACP  cooperation  to  be  financed  from  the  11th 
European  Development  Fund;  https://ec.europa.eu/europeaid/sites/devco/files/ad-1-2aap-intra-acp-
2016_en.pdf 

16 

 
                                                 
Information systems (RRIS) with tools and services that stakeholders can use to monitor 
and report on the status of biodiversity and PAs and for informed decision-making. 

EUR 3  million  were  granted  to  the  Barcelona  Convention  to  promote  an  ecologically 
representative and efficiently managed network of MPAs in the Mediterranean. The EU 
is  supporting  work  to  promote  MPAs  in  the  Mediterranean  through  three  ongoing 
scientific  projects  (PROTOMEDEA,  MANTIS,  SAFENET).  It  is  also  contributing  to 
biodiversity conservation through other spatial-management areas. For example, the EU 
strongly  supported  the  adoption  by  GFCM  in  2017  of  the  Jabuka/Pomo  Pit  Fishing 
Restricted Area, which is recognised as an essential nursery and spawning ground in the 
Mediterranean. Lastly, a strategy is being developed to identify priorities for supporting 
the establishment of MPAs in Africa. 

PILLAR 3: STRENGTHENING INTERNATIONAL OCEAN RESEARCH AND DATA 

  Action 12: A coherent EU strategy on ocean observation, data and marine   

accounting 

Reliable and accessible ocean data are key to ensuring safe, secure, clean and sustainably 
managed  oceans.  As  oceans  have  no  borders  and  are  intrinsically  linked,  cooperation 
with international, regional and bilateral partners is necessary to bring together separate 
marine data holdings to create a common picture that can help build an evidence-based 
approach for tackling the pressures on the oceans. 

In  this  context,  EMODnet  and  Copernicus  share  many  facilities.  Work  is  underway  to 
assess  their  compatibility  with  major  data  platforms  operated  by  countries  on  other 
continents  such  as  the  United  States,  Japan  and  Australia.  EMODnet  is  contributing  to 
the General Bathymetric Chart of the Oceans, the international effort to map seabeds. 

Furthermore, the EU is developing a joint action that will enable ocean data cooperation 
between the EU and China. It will connect EMODnet with China’s National Marine Data 
and Information Service, providing equal access and equal levels of openness to data and 
data  products  from  European  and  Chinese  providers.  Data  products  will  be  developed 
and made available equally through the EMODnet portal and the Chinese networks. The 
EU has earmarked EUR 3.5 million for this purpose. This project should be seen as the 
first  phase  of  a  long-term  ambition  to  create  an  international  marine  data  network  that 
would cover oceans globally. 

Moreover,  in  November  2018  the  European  Commission  and  partners  organised  a 
European  Ocean  Observing  System  conference  to  consider  needs,  gaps,  economic 
benefits  and  alignment  of  different  communities.  The  participants  called  for  better 
coordination between communities on fisheries, research, environment, etc.  

In the international framework the Commission is working with its international partners 
in the All Atlantic Research Alliance, the G7 initiative “Future of the Seas and Oceans”, 
the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission and the Group on Earth Observations 
(GEO)/Global  Earth  Observation  System  of  Systems  (GEOSS)  Framework  to  improve 
ocean observations and data handling. Furthermore, under the Research and  Innovation 
Programme  Horizon  2020  new  projects  on  ocean  observations  have  been  funded  (for 
example ODYSSEA, EUR 8 million). 

Work  has  been  also  progressing  on  scanning  priorities  for  marine  accounts  and 
developing experimental marine ecosystem accounts. Some test cases, such as sea-grass,  

17 

 
 
fish  biomass  and  seafloor  integrity  accounts,  are  being  developed  in  the  EU  project  on 
Integrated Natural Capital and Ecosystem Services Accounting as well as by the EEA. 

Lastly,  as  a  follow  up  to  the  relevant  Our  Ocean  Conference  commitment  in  2017,  the 
EU  launched  its  WISE–Marine  portal,  drawing  on  existing  reporting  by  EU  Member  
States, European data infrastructures and data obtained from the RSCs. The sections of 
the portal on ocean governance and SDG 14 will now be further strengthened. 

  Action 13: Strengthening investment in ‘blue’ science and innovation 

In  accordance  with  the  European  Cloud  Initiative  Communication27,  the  EU  is 
developing a pilot Blue Cloud, which will be part of the European Open Science Cloud. 
Through  Horizon  2020,  the  EU  has  provided  funding  for  the  SeaDataCloud  project  as 
well as  for the  Innovation Booster for  Blue Cloud Pilot initiative. Furthermore, the EU 
has  published  a  call  for  research  proposals  for  oceans  observations  and  forecasting. 
These will be important  building blocks for developing this thematic cloud,  which will 
bring  together  existing  scientific  clouds  and  research  infrastructures  and  support  the 
development of cloud-based services, bringing all the advantages of this new technology 
to scientists. 

The  EU  has  worked  collaboratively  with  its  G7  partners  to  advance  plans  for  global 
action  on  ocean  observation.  Projects  on  integrated  ocean  observing  systems  for  the 
Atlantic,  the  Mediterranean  and  the  Arctic  are  under  way.  In  2017,  the  EU  provided 
EUR 10  million  to  finance  several  research  infrastructure  projects  (ARICE  and 
EUMarineRobots). 

  Action 14: International ocean research, innovation and science partnerships 

The  EU  has  pursued  the  implementation  of  activities  under  the  All  Atlantic  Ocean 
Research Alliance. This  was initiated with  the signature of the EU-US-Canada  Galway 
Statement on Atlantic Ocean Cooperation in 2013 and complemented with the signature 
of  the  EU-Brazil-South  Africa  Belém  Statement  on  Atlantic  Research  and  Innovation 
Cooperation  in  July  2017.  The  cooperation  now  covers  the  Atlantic  Ocean  from  the 
Arctic  to  Antarctica.  The  EU  has  allocated  over  EUR 60  million  for  2018-2019  to 
support  this  cooperation  through  Horizon  2020.  In  parallel,  the  EU  has  supported  the 
development of the South-South Science Plan under the leadership of Brazil and South 
Africa. This will further expand the work of the Alliance by promoting frameworks for 
closer cooperation. Cooperation on marine research and innovation will help to tackle the 
challenges  linked  to  the  Atlantic,  including  ocean  observation,  food  security,  polar 
research  and  climate  variability.  Furthermore,  in  2018  the  EU  signed  a  bilateral 
Administrative  Arrangement  on  Marine  Research  and  Innovation  Cooperation  with 
Argentina and the Republic of Cabo Verde. 

Lastly,  an  international  seabed  mapping  working  group  was  set  up  under  the  Galway 
Statement to help coordinate the mapping activities of the three partners, including ship 
time and data sharing, and to identify priority areas for mapping in the Atlantic. 

The  EU  also  remains  engaged  in  global  alliances,  notably  in  the  development  of  the 
Belmont Forum Collaborative Research Action on ocean sustainability that will provide 

27 COM/2016/0178 final 

18 

 
 
 
 
 
                                                 
a solution-oriented and transdisciplinary approach to research. Linked to the Copernicus 
Marine  Service,  the  EU  and  international  partners  also  continued  their  efforts  on  open 
access and interoperability of data. This was done in, for example, the GEO/GEOSS and 
the European Global Ocean Observing System. 

Concerning the Mediterranean, all members of the Union for the Mediterranean are now 
involved in the BLUEMED initiative. This promotes cooperation in marine research and 
innovation  with  the  aim  of  keeping  the  Mediterranean  Sea  healthy,  productive  and 
resilient.  The  EU  is  supporting  this  initiative  through  Horizon  2020  with  over  EUR 50 
million. 

The EU has also launched a specific programme for the Black Sea. A 'vision paper' on a 
common  maritime  and  research  agenda  for  the  Black  Sea  was  endorsed  in  2018.  The 
strengthening  of  data  collection  and  scientific  evaluation  in  the  Black  Sea  is  also 
supported by a dedicated GFCM scientific project (BlackSea4Fish) and the development 
of the Aquaculture Demonstrative Centre in the Black Sea. Both actions are financially 
supported by the EU. 

FURTHER ACTIONS ADVANCING OCEAN GOVERNANCE 

Complementing  the  international  ocean  governance  agenda,  the  EU  has  taken  further 
initiatives since its adoption that help to strengthen international ocean governance. As a 
proactive  supporter  of  the  Our  Ocean  Conferences,  the  EU  hosted  the  fourth  such 
conference,  in  Malta  in  2017.  The  conference  gathered  over  400  commitments  from 
nearly 1 000 representatives  of international  institutions,  governments,  businesses, non-
governmental  organisations,  foundations  and  research  institutes  from  112  countries 
around  the  world  to  conserve  and  sustainably  use  the  oceans  and  their  resources. 
Financial commitments totalled more than EUR 7 billion. The EU itself announced over 
EUR 550  million  in  EU-funded  initiatives  in  36  commitments  to  tackle  global  oceans 
challenges, while the overall commitments of the EU and its Member States amounted to 
over EUR 2.8 billion. At the 2018 Our Ocean conference in Bali, the EU committed to a 
total of EUR 300 million on initiatives related to marine pollution, marine protection, the 
'blue' economy, sustainable fisheries and climate change impacts. 

The IMO adopted in 2017 more stringent rules on the safety of passenger ships based on 
a  proposal  made  by  the  European  Commission  and  EU  Member  States  to  the  IMO  in 
January  2016.  The  proposal  was  based  on  extensive  research  funded  by  the  EU  and 
studies  commissioned  by  the  European  Maritime  Safety  Agency  (EMSA).  The  input 
provided  to  the  IMO  has  driven  the  efforts  to  upgrade  international  standards  for  the 
damage survivability of passenger ships. The new IMO requirements for passenger ships 
improve  the  survivability  of  all  kinds  of  passenger  ships  engaged  in  international 
voyages. 

Also in 2018, the Commission introduced measures to encourage sustainable finance to 
promote sustainable use of marine resources under its action plan on sustainable finance. 
In  response  to  a  growing  need  for  finance  and  investment  guidelines  to  underpin  a 
sustainable 'blue' economy, a partnership between the Commission, WWF, the Prince of 
Wales’s  International  Sustainability  Unit and  the  European  Investment  Bank  developed 
14 voluntary Sustainable Blue Economy Finance Principles for financial institutions and 
investors  in  the  'blue'  economy  and  proposed  to  create  a  taxonomy  for  classifying 
economic  activities  that  are  considered  environmentally  sustainable  including  activities 
for the sustainable use and protection of marine resources. 

19 

 
 
 
Furthermore,  at  the  2018  European  Maritime  Day  in  Burgas,  Bulgaria,  to  showcase 
cross-border cooperation around the Black Sea the six coastal countries and the Republic 
of Moldova endorsed the Ministerial Declaration Towards a Common Maritime Agenda 
for  the  Black  Sea.  Through  the  ‘Facility  for  Blue  Growth’  —  an  EU-funded  assistance 
mechanism  —  administrations  and  stakeholders  in  the  region  get  support  to  identify 
common  priorities  for  cooperation  at  sea-basin  level,  laying  the  foundation  for 
developing a common maritime agenda for the Black Sea by 2019. 

Reacting  to  the  need  to  strengthen  ocean  research,  the  EU  has  invested  over  EUR 260 
million per year under Horizon 2020. Research and innovation projects on oceans funded 
under  Horizon  2020  cover  a  wide  range  of  topics.  They  include  analysis  of  marine 
ecosystems,  clean shipping, underwater noise, marine pollution, its effects and ways to 
address  it, and research  to  support maritime spatial planning.  In addition, the Group of 
Chief  Scientific  Advisers  (Scientific  Advice  Mechanism)  to  the  European  Commission 
published a report entitled Food from the Oceans in 2017. This addresses how the oceans 
can make a sustainable contribution to food security through fisheries and aquaculture. 

The EU invested EUR 23 million in the Copernicus Marine Service annually in 2017 and 
2018  to  provide  global observation,  forecasting  and  analysis  of  the  state  of  the  oceans, 
including climate change effects.  As highlighted by the 2016 EU space  strategy and in 
the  recent  OECD  report  on  the  ocean  economy  in  2030,  space  technologies  and 
Copernicus  can  play  an  essential  role  in  fostering  the  'blue'  economy.  In  2017,  the 
availability of Copernicus marine and maritime security services was estimated to have 
generated  approximately  EUR 380  million  in  business  returns  for  12  key  applications, 
with  an  annual  average  growth  rate  of  14 %  since  2012.  For  example,  the  services 
increased the productivity of fish farmers by 5 %, cut overall fuel consumption by major 
ship operators by 1 % and reduced the number of accidents at sea. 

The Copernicus Marine Service provides support to a variety of policies and initiatives, 
including the Global Climate Observing System implementation plan, the G7 ‘Future of 
the Seas and Oceans’ initiative and Agenda 2030, including SDG14. To help strengthen 
international  data  cooperation  and  exchange,  Copernicus  signed  cooperation 
arrangements with Brazil, Chile, Columbia, India, Serbia, Ukraine and the African Union 
in 2018 to encourage the use of Copernicus data and the internationalisation of European 
earth observation companies. 

The European Parliament voted to earmark EUR 1.3 million in the EU's 2018 budget to 
finance  a  pilot  project  entitled  ‘Ocean  Literacy  for  All’.  This  reflected  the  growing 
importance of increasing awareness of ocean issues in order to support EU policy goals, 
the  need  for  more  civil  engagement  and  the  need  to  encourage  coordination  among 
existing  initiatives.  The  project  will  pave  the  way  towards  establishing  the  European 
Ocean Alliance, a European platform for awareness raising, ocean advocacy, community 
building and resource sharing. This will help the public and economic and political actors 
to  become  informed  ocean  advocates  and  actors  for  ocean  protection  and  more 
sustainable use of ocean resources. 

Finally, the European Union is contributing to the second UN World Ocean Assessment 
currently prepared  and has  also  begun to  prepare its contribution to  the United Nations 
Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development (2021 – 2030), following the call 
for expression of interest sent by the lead agency, the IOC-UNESCO. 

CONCLUSION 

20 

 
This  first  progress  report  confirms  the  EUs  global  leadership  in  ocean  policy  by 
showcasing major achievements in delivering actions across all three priority areas of the 
international ocean governance agenda and beyond. 

As  a  reliable  partner  and  a  strong  voice  in  international  fora  and  processes,  the  EU  is 
committed  to  maintaining  its  commitment  to  advancing  ocean  governance  and  the 
delivery of SDG14. 

The  high  level  of  complexity  and  often  cross-cutting  structural  nature  of  current  and 
emerging  issues  in  ocean  governance  require  long-term  commitment.  While  there  is 
progress  in  protecting  the  world's  oceans,  the  increasingly  adverse  impacts  of  climate 
change together with overfishing and marine pollution continue to pose a challenge to the 
health  and  sustainable  use  of  oceans.  The  results  of  the  UN's  first  World  Ocean 
Assessment emphasise the need for global action given that the oceans' carrying capacity 
has been reached. 

21 

 
 
 
LIST OF ACCRONYMS 

BBNJ: Marine Biological Diversity of Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction 

CBD: Convention on Biological Diversity 

CCAMLR: Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources 

CISE: Common Information Sharing Environment 

CITES: Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species  

EEA: European Environment Agency 

EFCA: European Fisheries Control Agency 

EMFF: European Maritime and Fisheries Fund 

EMODnet: European Marine Observation and Data Network 

EMSA: European Maritime Safety Agency 

EUMSS: EU Maritime Security Strategy 

ERDF: European Regional Development Fund 

FAO: Food and Agricultural Organisation  

GEO/GEOSS:  Group  on  Earth  Observations/  Global  Earth  Observation  System  of 

Systems 

GFCM: General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean 

ILO: International Labour Organisation 

IMO: International Maritime Organisation 

IOC-Unesco: Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of Unesco 

IUU: Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated fishing 

MPA: Marine Protected Area 

MSP: Maritime Spatial Planning 

PEUMP: Pacific-European Union Marine Partnership Programme 

RFMO: Regional Fisheries Management Organisation  

RSC: Regional Seas Convention 

SDG: Sustainable Development Goal 

SFPAs: Sustainable Fisheries Partnership Agreements 

SIOFA: Southern Indian Ocean Fisheries Agreement 

UNEA: UN Environment Assembly 

WTO: World Trade Organisation 

22