Von der Leyen seems to have flushed the European Green Deal down the drain, and the oceans along with it.

Commission President von der Leyen ‘unveiled’ her new European Ocean Pact at the United Nations Oceans Conference in Nice this week, to little fanfare or applause, given that the text contains very little by way of new language, ambition or funding for ocean protection. 

Unfortunately, at a time when ocean protection is needed more than ever (ocean’s absorb 91% of the earth’s excess heat), the ‘Pact’ includes no new commitments to dedicated funding, no measures to tackle pollution, nor any attempts to take on the impact of offshore oil and gas. Small-scale fishers will have to make do with nice words, because they won’t see any concrete measures either from this Pact. The only proposal of note revolves around the announcement of an ‘Ocean Act’ for two years down the road, which will be based on the already expected revisions of the Marine Spatial Framework and Maritime Strategic Framework Directives. 

Speaking from the UN Ocean Conference in Nice, Left MEP Emma Fourreau (La France Insoumise, France) said: “As we could expect, the Ocean Pact presented today at the UN Conference in Nice falls short in changing our relationship to the Ocean. It follows a purely business-as-usual approach focused on the current competitiveness narrative around the “sustainable blue economy”. While the Ocean is facing the triple plenary crisis, there are no new measures on increasing the level of protection of marine protected areas, no additional funding for the Ocean nor proposals for a social and ecological transition in fisheries and for providing concrete support to small scale fishers.”

The claim made in the media that von der Leyen will put forward €1 billion for projects around the world for scientists and conservationists doesn’t actually include any new money, instead ‘mobilising’ public and private investments. Instead, von der Leyen’s new hobby horses of defence and migration get special mentions in the European Ocean Pact, including investments in drones for Frontex, an agency with a poor record for human rights.