<h6><strong>Eduardo González</strong></h6> <h4><strong>The President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez, participated this Monday in Nice (France) in the plenary session of the Third United Nations Ocean Conference (UNOC3), where the European Commission presented the European Ocean Pact, approved last Thursday by the EU executive and which, according to the head of the Executive, will allow "better protection of marine life, support coastal areas, and strengthen our thriving blue economy."</strong></h4> During his speech, Sánchez assured that Spain will process the creation of new protected areas along its coastline, "achieving 25.7% protection of our sea, 5.8% more than in 2023, and advancing our commitment to reach 30% by 2030." He urged the participating countries to adopt concrete protection measures, but also to "support policies with sufficient resources." In this regard, Pedro Sánchez announced that Spain "will make a new contribution of €8.5 million to the Blue Fund for Mediterranean Cooperation," which will make our country "the largest donor to this initiative." The Prime Minister also recalled Spain's imminent presidency of the Convention for the Protection of the Marine Environment of the Northeast Atlantic, the most important convention in the world in the field of conservation. Pedro Sánchez also participated in the presentation of the European Ocean Pact, approved by the European Commission last Thursday. This initiative, which brings together all European ocean-related policies in a single instrument and aims to approve an Oceans Regulation by 2027, will allow us to "better protect marine life, support coastal areas, and strengthen our thriving blue economy," the Prime Minister stated. The presentation was attended by the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, and the President of the European Council, António Costa. Sánchez also urged European partners to commit to the oceans, enhance knowledge of the marine environment, promote governance and technology for ocean management and protection, and place coastal populations at the center of political action: “Forty percent of the Spanish population, nearly 19 million people, live in coastal municipalities. It is crucial to guarantee their resilience and sustainability,” he stated. Therefore, he warned, “it is important that this pact is not just a commitment on paper, but a promise in action, for our oceans, for our citizens, and for future generations.” <h5><strong>The Pact</strong></h5> During her speech at the opening plenary session of the Nice Conference, which brings together nearly 50 heads of state and government since Monday to address the global marine crisis, Ursula von der Leye announced the presentation of the “European Union's first pact for the oceans.” The Pact for the Oceans, according to the Commission, brings together EU ocean policies into a single, coordinated framework through a collaborative approach between EU countries, regions, and stakeholders, including fishers, innovators, investors, scientists, and civil society. The Pact will be complemented by an ocean law by 2027, which will help ensure the implementation of the Pact's priorities. This work will be defined in six priority areas for action: protecting and restoring ocean health by supporting EU countries in their efforts to restore degraded coastal marine habitats; boosting the competitiveness of the EU's sustainable blue economy, notably by strengthening the EU maritime industry and introducing a blue generational renewal strategy to foster access for young professionals in marine research, ocean technology, and sustainable fisheries; supporting coastal and island communities, as well as outermost regions, by submitting new or updated strategies for these regions and communities; Improve maritime security and defense by strengthening EU cooperation on coast guards and maritime border security; promote ocean research, knowledge, capabilities, and innovation by proposing an ambitious EU Ocean Observation Initiative; and strengthen EU ocean diplomacy and international ocean governance by intensifying the fight against illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing.
