In Malta, the 28 members of the European
Union have announced an ambitious package of 36 EU-initiatives to foster
healthier, cleaner, safer and more secure seas. More than €6 billion
have been committed by public and private actors at the EU-hosted Our
Ocean conference 2017 in Malta on October 5-6, to better manage the
oceans.
On behalf of the EU, High Representative, Vice-President
Federica Mogherini and Environment, Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Commissioner
Karmenu Vella announced on October 5 over €550 million of EU-funded initiatives to tackle global oceans challenges.
At the conference, First Vice-President
Frans Timmermans was expected to announce that the European Commission would phase out
by end 2017 all single-use plastic cups in water fountains and vending
machines in its buildings in Brussels.
Furthermore, Development Commissioner
Neven Mimica reaffirmed on behalf of the EU and its African, Caribbean, and Pacific
partners their commitment for sustainable ocean governance.
"The sea is a global common. It is Our Ocean because it belongs to humanity, to each and every human being,” Mogherini
said
at the opening session of the Malta conference on October 5. "We all
have a responsibility to preserve what’s common – to preserve it as a
treasure and avoid that it turns into a threat.”
Mogherini noted that the EU believes that
a globalised world needs a more cooperative global governance. "We
believe in the power of diplomacy, we invest in it, we believe and
invest in the power of common rules and international institutions. And
it is difficult, actually impossible, to imagine a global governance
without a cooperative oceans’ governance.”
Following the strong message sent by the
EU to step up action for better governance of our ocean, the total
commitments made by other public and private actors from 112 countries
around the world reached over €6 billion, according to the European
Commission. The resources will be invested to strengthen the fight
against marine pollution and enlarge protected areas, reinforce security
of the oceans, foster blue economy initiatives and sustainable
fisheries and intensify the EU efforts against climate change, in line
with the Paris Agreement and the Sustainable Development Goals under
Agenda 2030. Participants also announced the creation of new Marine
Protected Areas spanning more than 2.5 million square kilometres, or
more than half the size of the entire EU.
"Amounting to over €550 million and
launching complementary activities worldwide, the announcement
underscores the EU’s determination to improve the situation of the seas.
At the same time, as hosts, the EU seeks from the outset of the
conference to set an example and send a strong message of encouragement
to the rest of the world to step up and take action in the face of
growing ocean challenges such as plastic pollution, protection of marine
life, impact of climate change and criminal activities at sea. Over the
comings days, the international community – governments and private
sector alike – will come together to deliver on this objective,”
Mogherini said.
The High Representative noted that the
rise of sea levels is already forcing millions of people to leave their
homes and migrate. "Talk to sailors, fishermen and people who live by
the sea – here it is not difficult to do it, they will all tell you one
thing: that they had never seen such strong storms before, or such big
waterspouts,” she said.
"The ocean is becoming a security threat –
and we know it is not the ocean’s fault. We have scientists, and
meteorologists, and we should carefully listen to them. They told us
that warmer oceans would lead to more hurricanes and this is exactly
what is happening right now,” she said.
"Some of you may have seen the images
coming from the Bahamas just a few weeks ago. Hurricane Irma sucked all
the water away from the archipelago. For several hours, the sea simply
disappeared, and was replaced by a sea of mud. It sounds like a story
from an old legend, but it’s not. It is today’s reality. And we, as
human beings, are contributing to make this happen,” Mogherini said.
"Climate change is man-made. Insecurity
is man-made. But as an optimist, the good news is as we are currently
part of the problem; we can decide to be part of the solution. This is
something we can only do together. We share one world and one big
ocean,” she said.
"This is why I am so grateful to good friend
John Kerry [68th United States Secretary of State, from 2013 to 2017] – who will
join us tomorrow (October 6) – for launching this initiative four years
ago. And last year Karmenu and I, together with all the European
institutions, were very glad to pick up the baton and organise this
year’s conference,” Mogherini said.
"I am proud to announce – in the name of
the European Union – that the European Commission is putting €560
million on the table, with 36 concrete actions for Our Ocean. These
actions span from global cooperation with our partners, to small
gestures in our everyday life,” she said.
"I give you one small, but very concrete
example: our embassies, our European Union delegations around the world
have cleaned up 27 beaches in the course of this year. It is a small
thing that makes a difference. We need a global alliance and we need
everyone’s daily commitment. It is a collective responsibility that we
all share,” Mogherini said.
For his part, Vella reminded at his
speech that when he took office as European Commissioner in 2014, he was
the first to jointly hold the environment and maritime portfolios.
"This was thanks to the European Commission President
Jean Claude Juncker.
President Juncker realised that if we are to have a green sustainable
future, we have to look after our blue planet. This task was clearly
included in my mandate. What was also clear was, that this global issue
couldn’t be achieved by the EU alone. We have to address global issues
with global solutions. During the last three years, the EU has been a
driving force behind this truly global effort,” Vella said, adding,
"Together, we have the UN sustainable development goals, with goal 14 on
‘life below water’”.
"We now have the ground-breaking Paris
climate accord which recognises the essential role of the ocean. We have
EU commitments on ocean governance, on illegal fishing and on the
Arctic. And now we embark on the 4th edition of Our Ocean,” Vella said.
"At this point I want to pause and pay
tribute to the instigator of Our Ocean – John Kerry. John has been the
Poseidon of this process. I want to thank him for his dedication and
commitment. This Our Ocean platform, constructed with stakeholders
around the world, is built to last. We now have a growing and widening
movement of countries, business and civil society, all willing to take
real action to protect and to use our ocean sustainably,” the
Environment, Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Commissioner said.
He reminded that representatives from six
continents attended the Malta conference. "I would like to stress how
delighted I am to welcome the business community onto the stage this
year,” Vella said.
https://www.neweurope.eu/article/oceans-28-eu-wants-cleaner-seas/