European seas are under growing pressure. Climate change, biodiversity loss, pollution and expanding human activities at sea are placing a significant strain on the marine environment and the communities that depend on it.
For more than two decades, the European Union (EU) has responded through a patchwork of strategies, policies and action plans. Yet despite this, progress has been uneven. Fragmented governance, divided competences, and inconsistent implementation across the EU’s 27 Member States have limited the effectiveness of governance efforts.
In response, the European Commission has put forward a shared political vision: The European Ocean Pact, which aims to build Europe into an “Ocean Union”. At the heart of this vision sits a proposed new law, the European Ocean Act, intended to serve as the cornerstone of the Pact, transforming political ambition into a coherent, enforceable and effective framework for EU ocean governance.
From fragmented policy to a shared vision
Over recent decades, the EU has adopted a succession of measures to protect its marine environment, promote a thriving blue economy and support the well-being of coastal communities. Central among these is the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD), which commits Member States to achieving Good Environmental Status (GES) in Europe’s seas.
Yet, GES has repeatedly not been achieved. Europe’s marine environment continues to face multiple, cumulative stressors, from over-exploitation and climate change to biodiversity loss and the expansion of emerging activities. Progress has been consistently hindered by weak policy coherence, uneven implementation, insufficient financing, and fragmented governance across sectors and Member States.
Against this backdrop, there have been increasing calls for a fundamental shift in how Europe governs its seas. One prominent example is the Blue Manifesto, launched in 2024 and signed by over 140 organisations, which sets out a roadmap for healthy European seas by 2030.
These calls were reflected at the global level in June 2025, when the European Commission unveiled its first European Ocean Pact at the Third United Nations Ocean Conference (UNOC3). Launched as a flagship EU contribution to the global ocean agenda, it marks the first step in the EU taking on a leading role in ocean governance.
Structured around six priorities, the Pact introduces a range of new initiatives, including the creation of an Ocean Board and a consultation on a dedicated strategy for European islands. However, while it established a shared political vision, several of its flagship actions lack time-bound commitments, and key ocean-related targets remain aspirational rather than legally binding, thereby diluting their impact.
This is where the European Ocean Act comes into play.
What is the European Ocean Act?
The European Ocean Act seeks to bring greater coherence to the implementation of EU ocean-related policies, while strengthening the governance structures that underpin ocean data and observation. It is also expected to modernise maritime spatial planning, streamline reporting and bring existing EU ocean-related policies together within a more integrated, forward-looking governance framework.
As discussions on the Act advance, several key questions remain open, including how the Act will deliver on the Pact’s vision, whether it will address long-standing and emerging challenges, and how accountability will be ensured.
For Fair Seas, the success of the Ocean Act will depend on whether it can translate the Ocean Pact’s ambition into clear, measurable and enforceable action across Member States.
How the European Ocean Act should function as a framework, bringing coherence across EU ocean-related policies (Source: Seas At Risk, 2026)
What Fair Seas is calling for?
For Fair Seas, a strong European Ocean Act should focus on a number of clear priorities that help turn ambition into action, while reinforcing existing EU law.
Protecting and restoring Europe’s Seas
For Fair Seas, a strong European Ocean Act should focus on a number of clear priorities that help turn ambition into action, while reinforcing existing EU law.
First and foremost, the Ocean Act should put marine protection and restoration at the centre of EU ocean governance. This means supporting the delivery of existing commitments, in particular protecting 30% of Europe’s seas by 2030, including 10% under strict protection as set out in the EU Biodiversity Strategy.
In addition, the Act should:
- Support the delivery of the Nature Restoration Regulation, which aims to restore at least 20% of EU seas by 2030
- Improve the effective management of existing marine Natura 2000 sites designated under the Habitats and Birds Directives
- Support the achievement of GES under the Marine Strategy Framework Directive
- Reinforce sustainable fisheries management consistent with ecosystem-based and conservation objectives under the Common Fisheries Policy.
Planning the marine space around nature and people
Maritime spatial planning is one of the EU’s most important tools for managing growing competition for marine space. To be effective, it must work for nature, coastal communities and sustainable use.
The Ocean Act should strengthen coordination between maritime spatial planning and environmental policy, ensuring that marine spatial plans are aligned with biodiversity, climate and restoration objectives. This includes better alignment between the MSFD and the Maritime Spatial Planning Directive, consistent application of the ecosystem-based approach across sectors, and greater coherence between national plans.
Tracking progress and outcomes
Ambition alone is not enough. Strong objectives must be backed by clear timelines, monitoring and accountability.
The Ocean Act should improve how progress is tracked across Member States, including through strengthened marine data coordination and transparency tools to support evidence-based decision-making. Without this, it will be difficult to assess whether EU ocean policy is delivering real-world, tangible benefits.
Financing ocean action
Finally, delivering effective EU ocean governance requires stable and adequate funding.
The Ocean Act should help ensure that EU and national financing matches the scale of ambition set out in the Ocean Pact, supporting marine protection, restoration and sustainable development over the long term.
Why this matters for Ireland
Europe is fundamentally a maritime Union, with the largest collective maritime area in the world. Its seas underpin economic activity, food security, climate regulation and more.
Ireland is no exception. As an island State at the edge of the Atlantic and with a maritime area seven times the size of its landmass, Ireland’s economy, environment and coastal communities are closely tied to the health of the ocean. The health of Europe’s seas therefore matters directly for Ireland’s climate resilience, biodiversity and long-term prosperity.
At the same time, significant challenges remain at home. Ireland’s marine ecosystems are under increasing pressure from climate change, habitat loss and pollution, while progress on strengthening marine protection has been slow. Less than 10% of Ireland’s marine area is designated as a Marine Protected Area (MPA), and delays in introducing MPA legislation have limited effective protection on the water.
These pressures are reflected in ecological outcomes. Ireland’s most recent assessment under the Marine Strategy Framework Directive confirms that the ‘Biological Diversity’ descriptor has not achieved Good Environmental Status, a trend mirrored across the wider North-East Atlantic.
The European Ocean Act therefore presents an important opportunity for Ireland: not only to help shape stronger EU ocean governance, but to align European ambition with domestic delivery.
As Ireland prepares to assume the Presidency of the Council of the EU, it will be well placed to play a constructive role in advancing discussions on the Ocean Act and ensuring it delivers meaningful outcomes for Europe’s seas and coastal communities.
Building on Ireland’s political support for the European Ocean Pact, where the Taoiseach took part in the launch of the Pact, alongside President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen and President Macron at UNOC3, this moment offers a timely opportunity for Ireland to strengthen its role in advancing marine protection at both EU and national levels.
What happens next
A Public Consultation on the forthcoming European Ocean Act is expected in the coming months, ahead of its adoption by the Commission later this year.
A moment of opportunity
The European Ocean Act will be a defining moment for how the EU governs its seas, offering an opportunity to create, for the first time, a long-term, legally binding framework that moves beyond fragmented approaches. Getting it right from the outset will be essential to ensure Europe’s seas are protected, resilient and sustainably managed for generations to come.
Read the full; Fair Seas response to: The European Ocean Act Call for Evidence below.
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