The CoR points out that large parts of EU environmental
legislation including the EU Marine Strategy Framework
Directive (MSFD) and the Nature Directives have not
been sufficiently implemented
The European Committee of the Regions (CoR) has
presented a set of proposals to protect the marine
environment and restore oceans' eco-systems. The
CoR calls for a new EU Oceans Law to define a
long-term direction with measurable targets and
deadlines to ensure the protection and restoration
of marine ecosystems. Local and regional leaders
propose an Ocean Fund to decarbonise maritime
transport and call for the removal of the exemption
for fuel used in fishing in the Energy Taxation
Directive. The CoR also calls on the Commission to
propose ground-breaking new rules on quota
obligations for recycled nitrogen and phosphorous
on the EU market as part of its efforts to reduce
leakage of nutrients into EU seas, stop algal
blooming and the spread of dead bottoms.
Oceans are facing irreversible environmental pollution.
International sea shipment, excessive boat traffic,
urban construction, industrial production, farming and
energy production, all have an impact on the quality of
water, seas and marine biodiversity. While the world's
oceans are flooded with plastics, chemical pollution
and runoff of agricultural fertilisers, the increasing
pressure of urban development and tourism on coastlines
is also severely affecting marine ecosystems and
biodiversity.
Against this background, the CoR has adopted an
opinion
led by rapporteur
Emma Nohrén
(SE/Greens). The Vice Mayor of the Swedish Municipality
of Lysekil said:
"Oceans and climate are two sides of the same coin!
The climate cannot be regulated without healthy
oceans. Therefore, the Climate Law needs to be
complemented with an Ocean Law, which sets targets
and deadlines to improve marine environment.
Oceans' pollution is a global issue yet local and
regional communities are the
ones carrying the main burden
.
We must kick-start actions to unleash local and
subnational authorities' untapped potential to
protect the EU's marine environment, while
providing employment and boosting the economy. We
can wait no longer. We have to put the EU at the
forefront in the green transition as foreseen in
the European Green Deal.”
The CoR points out that large parts of EU environmental
legislation such as the
EU Marine Strategy Framework Directive
(MSFD) and the
Nature Directives
have not been sufficiently implemented as reported by
the
Court of Auditors
. After the first MSFD implementation cycle, the CoR
underlines that without defined threshold values or
clear, ambitious and measurable goals, progress will
never be made and urges for such targets to be defined
without further delay.
The CoR calls on the European Commission to set up rules for Member States to integrate local
and regional authorities into the consultation
procedure and into the process of identifying,
designing and planning measures, clarifying
responsibilities and fostering more engagement to
successfully implement the EU Marine Strategy Framework
Directive.
The CoR also requests that the European Commission
creates a
2030 European Marine Biodiversity Task Force
composed of environmental project managers that assist
and advise subnational authorities with project
planning and access to EU funds to halt marine
pollution and restore oceans' ecosystems.
In line with the recently adopted EU climate law,
cities and regions demand a new EU Oceans Law to define a long-term
direction to ensure the protection and restoration of
marine ecosystems and supports the European Parliament
proposal to establish an Ocean Fund with the objective
to decarbonise maritime transport and to use 20% of the
revenues to protect, restore and better manage marine
ecosystems.
To halt the increasing eutrophication of EU seas, the
CoR calls for the European Commission to clear the path
and propose quota obligations for recycled nutrients in
fertilisers on the EU market, as part of the circular
economy. The CoR stresses that phosphorous and nitrogen
are vital to food production and phosphorus is included
in the EU list of critical raw materials.
The EU's assembly of local and regional representatives
supports the goals and targets to protect biodiversity
in the
European Green Deal
and the
EU Biodiversity Strategy for 2030
. However, the CoR urges the European Commission to
include clear and measurable targets with accompanying
deadlines to conserve fisheries resources and protect
marine ecosystems in its action plan to be published by
2021.
The CoR is alarmed by the poor protection and
insufficient monitoring and control provided in current
EU Marine Protecting Areas
(MPAs). According to the
European Environment Agency
, less than 1% of MPAs in the EU are in full
protection. The CoR strongly supports the European
Commission proposal to create a network of Marine
Protected Areas covering 30% of the EU, which also
include restrictions on fishing and economic
activities. Local and regional leaders emphasise that
10% of EU seas must benefit from a high level of
protection, including no-take zones.
The CoR proposes the creation of an EU Oceans Academy consisting of young
universities scholars from all Member States to inspire
and disseminate best practices and knowledge about the
importance of healthy oceans.
To tackle plastic pollution, CoR members call on all
Members States to set up deposit return schemes for
plastic beverage containers and asks the European
Commission to ensure they are compatible. This would be
a crucial step towards a single market for packaging.
The CoR also calls on the European Commission to adopt
a ban on all new granular infill for sport pitches with
a six-year transition period and to include
nanoplastics, biodegradeable and soluble polymers in
the regulatory measures to reduce intentionally added
microplastics, currently under negotiation within the
EU.
The CoR notes that environmentally differentiated port
fees can be an efficient way for coastal regions to
improve the environment, and reduce emissions to air
and water, as well as waste and noise and calls on a
ban on the discharge of scrubber water within the EU.
The CoR reiterates that the polluter-pays principles
should be at the core of EU legislation on marine
environment and congratulates the European Commission
on its publically available
WISE Marine web portal
.
The draft opinion was presented during the CoR's
plenary session
on 5, 6 and 7 May 2021.
Background:
Read here
the interview with
Emma Nohrén
(SE/Greens) answering five questions on the role of
local and regional authorities in protecting the marine
environment.
Adopted on 17 June 2008.The aim of the
Marine Strategy Framework Directive
(MSFD) is to more effectively protect the marine
environment across Europe. The European Commission has
developed a set of detailed criteria and methodological
standards to help Member States implement the MSFD.
These were revised in 2017 leading to the new
Commission Decision on Good Environmental
Status
. Biodiversity is one of its key policy areas of
The European Green Deal
, adopted at the end of 2019. In May 2020, the European
Commission adopted the
EU Biodiversity Strategy for 2030
to halt the decline in biodiversity and bring nature
back into our lives.
The opinion
Local and regional authorities protecting the
marine environment
falls under the remits of the CoR's
Green Deal Going Local
(GDGL) working group. Launched in
June 2020
and
composed of 13 local and regional elected
representatives
, the GDGL working group has the objective to guarantee
that EU cities and regions are directly involved in the
definition, implementation and assessment of the
numerous initiatives that fall under the European Green
Deal, the EU's sustainable growth strategy to reach
climate-neutrality by 2050.
Between 4.8 and 12.7 million tonnes of plastic enter
the ocean every year. Plastic accounts for 75% of
marine litter in the world’s seas. Reduce marine
litter.
European Parliament Briefing
(2019).
Contact:
David Crous
Tel. +32 (0)470 88 10 37
david.crous@cor.europa.eu