‘Not that optimistic’: As 30x30 goals falter, can an Ocean Act save Europe’s waters?

Coastal communities, policymakers, scientists and industry leaders will come together next week for European Ocean Days.

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The buzz in Brussels during the week-long event is how we move from the Ocean Pact to the Ocean Act, a new piece of legislation due to be unveiled by the end of 2026. It's the most significant new law on the horizon for the marine environment, and the pressure is on to get it right.

Observers will be listening for hints in the opening speech from European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, whose presence underscores the rising tide of political interest in ocean matters.

European Commissioner for Fisheries and Oceans, Costas Kadis, sets it out clearly: "The Ocean Pact is an effort to establish a single reference strategy framework for all ocean-related policies, and so the Ocean Act is the legal component of this Pact."

The Commission says the Act will take “an ecosystem approach”, bringing together diverse maritime legislation in a 'simplification' effort.

The issue for campaigners is whether the Pact's framework for protecting marine health, boosting the blue economy and improving security will evolve into an Act with sharp legal teeth.

"We would like it to be like the Climate Law, with a single reference framework, a very high-level binding regulation, embedding all the targets of 30x30 and the biodiversity strategy," Rémi Cossetti, Marine Policy Officer at NGO Seas at Risk, tells Euronews Green.

Vanya Vulerphorst, Campaign Director for Illegal Fishing and Transparency at non-profit Oceana Europe, underscores the point that enforcement remains key. "The EU has laws at work. They can protect marine resources, they can make sure that fishers thrive, but it is just that it is not implemented," she tells Euronews Green.

Europe’s fisheries are in crisis

Arguments about Europe's Common Fisheries Policy are nothing new, but again, the pressure will be high during Ocean Days as the Commission prepares to unveil a policy called Vision 2040, which is supposed to set the course for a competitive, resilient and sustainable fisheries and aquaculture sector.

The sector remains in crisis in Europe for many reasons. Catch limits are under fire for being set at unsustainably high levels, post-Brexit bargaining over quotas muddy the waters, and new EU rules such as the landing obligation - which bans throwing unwanted fish back in the sea - are proving difficult to enforce. Add in the Icelandic referendum on EU membership and you have a powerful political cocktail.

Nevertheless, there is a general current of thinking today that the only way forward is to restore ecosystems, because without healthy nature there's no healthy fishing business.

"It's really about reframing the fisheries sector so it fits into the ocean's boundaries," says Cossetti. Not everyone is aligned on what that means, in particular industrial fishing lobbies, who have a heavier lobbying power than smaller, artisanal fishers.

Which brings us nicely to the next point - who is actually doing the job of fishing today?

How can the fishing industry attract young workers?

Europe's fishing industry is facing a quiet but serious crisis in its workforce. Put simply, not enough young people are embarking on a fishing industry career. The work is physically demanding, genuinely risky, and the costs of entry into the business, like investing in a vessel, are high.

A recent study by WWF found that only 17 per cent of Mediterranean and Black Sea fishers are under 25 years old, and almost half are over 40. There are many outstanding questions over how to make the profession more attractive, while at the same time dealing with overcapacity in overfished areas like the Mediterranean.

Oceana's Vulperhorst is pushing for one key reform which she believes could boost the smaller fishers: a new rule giving preferential access to the most productive fishing zones to boats below 15 metres in length that don't engage in trawling. "Give access to the resource to those that fish most sustainably, both environmentally and socially," she argues.

Commissioner Kadis gave us his view: "We will achieve generation renewal if we secure more stability and predictability for the sector, if we improve the working conditions through the modernisation of the fishing fleet, and if we improve business models of our fishers."

Many people want the small-scale, family-run fishing vessels that dominate Europe's picturesque ports to survive as part of our cultural heritage, and to bring home a decent catch. The catch is finding the right policy mix and economic incentives to ease the industry through the transition.

Will the EU achieve the 30 by 30 goal by 2030?

Under the EU Biodiversity Strategy the EU has committed to legally protecting 30 per cent of its seas by 2030, with at least 10 per cent under strict protection. Yet hardly anyone believes it will happen.

Even Commissioner Kadis is doubtful: "I'm not that optimistic that we will reach the 30-by-30 target," he admits. For Cossetti, action is "too slow, and it's not stringent enough."

As of 2023, around 13.7 per cent of EU marine waters were covered by designated protected areas, which is better than a decade ago, but far short of 30 per cent with just a few years remaining.

The other complaint is about quality, rather than quantity. Many existing Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) are slammed as being no more than 'paper parks', meaning they exist on a map but rules are either too lenient or seldom enforced. "Sometimes there's even more trawling in protected areas than outside," says Vulperhorst.

The European Commission has not committed to the EU banning bottom trawling in MPAs, arguing for 'case by case' assessments and a 'targeted approach'.

Campaigners like Cossetti believe that bottom trawling in MPAs could cease immediately. "It's proven it can be replaced without harming the catch. We need to upscale low-impact practices," he says.

Commissioner Kadis promotes the concept of co-management of MPAs. "When conservation measures are supported, or at least they have the consensus of the local communities and the local stakeholders, these conservation measures are much more effective," he tells Euronews Green.

The strongest argument behind expansion of well-enforced MPAs is the speed of recovery of marine ecosystems - within a few years a protected area can begin to thrive, well within sight of election cycles.

How do we keep our seas safe?

Maritime security has moved rapidly up Europe's political agenda, taking a prominent place on the topic list for European Ocean Days. Threats such as sabotage of undersea cables and gas pipelines are generally accepted to be present, real and urgent.

The EU has revised its Maritime Security Strategy to improve coordination and hold live exercises, and there is talk of fleets of drones to monitor unusual and illegal activity. The Commission also aims to identify ships in the so-called Russian shadow fleet and include them in sanctions lists.

Nevertheless, experts like Olevs Nikers, President of the Baltic Security Foundation, remain critical of the situation. "We are so poorly-coordinated across our lines, and we are not having clear mandates to act," he tells Euronews Green. Describing the Baltic as a kind of 'NATO lake', he says that Russian and Chinese affiliated vessels "can do basically whatever they want, and the damage that they can inflict to the communications and to energy is massive".

European Ocean Days will take place from 2 to 6 March 2026 in Brussels and online, offering a platform for policymakers, scientists and stakeholders to discuss ocean sustainability and innovation.