What changed

F. whereas the EU is a contracting party to 18 RFMOs and four regional seas conventions and plays a leading role in multilateral negotiations on fisheries management and marine conservation; whereas the EU recognises that RFMOs are the building blocks of international ocean governance for the management and conservation of fish stocks and are essential instruments for fostering international ocean diplomacy, strengthening cooperation among coastal and fishing nations and ensuring the sustainable governance of the high seas;G. whereas the EU has 20 sustainable fisheries partnership agreements (SFPAs); whereas despite seven of them being dormant, the SFPAs create a network of agreements with partner countries, which also constitutes a platform for further cooperation in relation to global fisheries management and international ocean governance;seas;

G. whereas the EU has 20 sustainable fisheries partnership agreements (SFPAs); whereas despite seven of them being dormant, the SFPAs create a network of agreements with partner countries, which also constitutes a platform for further cooperation in relation to global fisheries management and international ocean governance;

K. whereas hybrid threats, cyberattacks and recent acts of sabotage transcend borders, since they include damage to pipelines and underwater communication cables, global positioning system (GPS) interference in the Baltic and the Black Sea and assaults on shipping routes in the Red Sea; whereas tackling the exposure of maritime infrastructure, sea lines of communication, and global trade to hybrid threats, cyberattacks, piracy and rising geopolitical tensions, and therefore threats to maritime security, has become a strategic priority for the EU’s economy, connectivity and digital sovereignty;L. whereas the fifth round of negotiations for a future global plastics treaty took place in August 2025 but without consensus on a treaty;sovereignty;

L. whereas the fifth round of negotiations for a future global plastics treaty took place in August 2025 but without consensus on a treaty;

N. whereas Regulation (EU) 2025/2077 strengthens the EU’s ability to act against non-sustainable fishing practices carried out by non-EU countries, by defining clear criteria for ‘failure to cooperate’, grounded in international law and independent scientific evidence, with the aim of safeguarding shared fish stocks, reinforcing cooperation within RFMOs and ensuring a level playing field for EU fishers operating under high sustainability standards;O. whereas the European Ocean Pact proposes six key priorities for the EU, including strengthening EU ocean diplomacy, protecting and restoring ocean health, enhancing maritime security and advancing ocean research and knowledge;standards;

O. whereas the European Ocean Pact proposes six key priorities for the EU, including strengthening EU ocean diplomacy, protecting and restoring ocean health, enhancing maritime security and advancing ocean research and knowledge;

1. Emphasises that the EU should continue to lead the international ocean governance agenda, as it is uniquely positioned, considering the size of its maritime area, the geostrategic position of the outermost regions in all oceans, its historical leadership, its economic relevance and weight, and its legal and regulatory leadership; recalls that the EU has the largest EEZ in the world and is already one of the front runners in the sustainable management, protection, safeguarding and restoring of its marine habitats and resources for future generations;2. Stresses that the ocean is a geopolitical and economic asset central to Europe’s competitiveness and cultural identity, and that ocean diplomacy is part of international ocean governance; believes that this should not be limited to geopolitical or security approaches only but should also take in consideration general ocean management and governance, which reflect the environmental, economic, cultural, social and territorial dimensions of the sea and the importance of the sea to fishing communities and the communities of the coastal, island and outermost regions;generations;

3. Calls for the mainstreaming of ocean diplomacy in the EU’s external action, including development, and its common foreign and security policy, to defend a rules-based maritime order through multilateral cooperation in line with the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS); notes that enhanced cooperation among Member States and EU agencies, in particular the European Maritime Safety Agency, the European Border and Coast Guard Agency (Frontex), the European Fisheries Control Agency, the European Environment Agency and the EU Agency for the Space Programme, would help ensure the sustainable exploitation of marine resources, promote EU environmental, economic and social standards, notably in international organisations including the FAO, the International Labour Organization and the WTO, and counter IUU fishing, through stricter controls on unregulated fishery imports and stricter conditions for accessing EEZs;4. Underlines the importance of tackling shadow fleets, piracy, intimidation and hostile or violent acts originating from non-EU countries to the prejudice of EU fishers and EU maritime infrastructure, through specific measures such as naval missions, satellite monitoring using Copernicus, and naval drones; calls for the strengthening of EU military, non-military and naval missions dedicated to monitoring and combating IUU fishing activities, trafficking and phantom fleets, and controlling the safety of vessels; recalls that trafficking and phantom fleets are increasing the risk of major pollution incidents and endangering coastal areas and their populations; suggests the establishment of an EU emergency and remediation facility to assist in response and recovery efforts following environmental accidents linked to these operations;

2. Stresses that the ocean is a geopolitical and economic asset central to Europe’s competitiveness and cultural identity, and that ocean diplomacy is part of international ocean governance; believes that this should not be limited to geopolitical or security approaches only but should also take in consideration general ocean management and governance, which reflect the environmental, economic, cultural, social and territorial dimensions of the sea and the importance of the sea to fishing communities and the communities of the coastal, island and outermost regions;

3. Calls for the mainstreaming of ocean diplomacy in the EU’s external action, including development, and its common foreign and security policy, to defend a rules-based maritime order through multilateral cooperation in line with the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS); notes that enhanced cooperation among Member States and EU agencies, in particular the European Maritime Safety Agency, the European Border and Coast Guard Agency (Frontex), the European Fisheries Control Agency, the European Environment Agency and the EU Agency for the Space Programme, would help ensure the sustainable exploitation of marine resources, promote EU environmental, economic and social standards, notably in international organisations including the FAO, the International Labour Organization and the WTO, and counter IUU fishing, through stricter controls on unregulated fishery imports and stricter conditions for accessing EEZs;

4. Underlines the importance of tackling shadow fleets, piracy, intimidation and hostile or violent acts originating from non-EU countries to the prejudice of EU fishers and EU maritime infrastructure, through specific measures such as naval missions, satellite monitoring using Copernicus, and naval drones; calls for the strengthening of EU military, non-military and naval missions dedicated to monitoring and combating IUU fishing activities, trafficking and phantom fleets, and controlling the safety of vessels; recalls that trafficking and phantom fleets are increasing the risk of major pollution incidents and endangering coastal areas and their populations; suggests the establishment of an EU emergency and remediation facility to assist in response and recovery efforts following environmental accidents linked to these operations;

8. Welcomes the announcement of a new generation of SFPAs, as outlined in the European Ocean Pact, which are aligned with the EU’s regional strategies for Africa and the Indo-Pacific; stresses the need to ensure that these agreements respect scientific advice and human rights, while further deepening bilateral cooperation with partner countries and strengthening common action in international forums such as RFMOs, and that they also reinforce the EU’s global leadership in promoting sustainable fisheries partnerships; emphasises that this new generation of SFPAs should also provide an opportunity to improve fleet sustainability, reduce pressure on highly exploited stocks, diversify the origins of fishing products and reduce the EU’s dependence on fishing products from non-EU countries; calls on the Commission to adopt a globally influential communications strategy to assert its ambitions and its leadership;9. Calls for attention to be given to dormant agreements, to either activate them by initiating negotiations or terminate them, in order to enable EU operators to explore other arrangements in compliance of applicable EU rules, such as direct authorisations; underlines that the WTO Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies of 2022 explicitly excludes SFPAs from its scope;leadership;

9. Calls for attention to be given to dormant agreements, to either activate them by initiating negotiations or terminate them, in order to enable EU operators to explore other arrangements in compliance of applicable EU rules, such as direct authorisations; underlines that the WTO Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies of 2022 explicitly excludes SFPAs from its scope;

29. Welcomes the EU’s leadership in international ocean governance, particularly through its role in creating the Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction High Ambition Coalition of 47 members; welcomes the entry into force of the BBNJ Agreement under the UNCLOS to ensure the effective conservation and sustainable use of the marine biological diversity of areas beyond national jurisdiction, in order to ensure, in turn, the effective protection and sustainable management of the high seas; calls for the new framework to operate in a coordinated and complementary manner with existing international bodies including RFMOs, the FAO and the International Maritime Organization, and with the CFP; stresses that the agreement should be implemented and the directive transposed respecting the competences of these bodies, the EU acquis and the competences of the Member States;30. Welcomes the confirmation that the failure to adopt, implement or enforce fisheries management measures – whether under RFMOs or bilateral and multilateral agreements – now constitutes a failure to cooperate under EU law; asks the Commission, in this regard, in cooperation with the Member States, to use all available instruments to ensure that non-EU countries cooperate, including Regulation (EU) No 1026/2012, which establishes a framework for identifying and adopting measures for non-EU countries that fail to cooperate and that allow non-sustainable fishing of a stock of common interest for the Union;States;

30. Welcomes the confirmation that the failure to adopt, implement or enforce fisheries management measures – whether under RFMOs or bilateral and multilateral agreements – now constitutes a failure to cooperate under EU law; asks the Commission, in this regard, in cooperation with the Member States, to use all available instruments to ensure that non-EU countries cooperate, including Regulation (EU) No 1026/2012, which establishes a framework for identifying and adopting measures for non-EU countries that fail to cooperate and that allow non-sustainable fishing of a stock of common interest for the Union;

32. Calls for support for an international moratorium on deep-sea mining and reminds the EU and its Member States, as members of the International Seabed Authority and in accordance with the UNCLOS, of their legal obligation to respond with appropriate measures to any attempts to bypass the International Seabed Authority as the competent international body for regulating deep-sea mining activities beyond national jurisdictions, as such attempts might have an impact on international ocean governance;33. Calls on the Commission and the Member States to push for the international moratorium on whaling and the hunting of large cetaceans of the International Whaling Commission and international bodies to be respected by all countries and regions, and for existing exceptions not to be abusively used as support for commercial objectives;governance;

33. Calls on the Commission and the Member States to push for the international moratorium on whaling and the hunting of large cetaceans of the International Whaling Commission and international bodies to be respected by all countries and regions, and for existing exceptions not to be abusively used as support for commercial objectives;

36. Stresses that scientific evidence must remain the backbone of decision-making in international ocean governance, serving as a common currency in multilateral negotiations and supporting sustainable governance in fisheries and aquaculture; further emphasises the need to invest in and assist scientific bodies that provide the evidence underpinning such decisions;37. Recalls the importance of the EU’s global leadership in implementing the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework that recognises the importance of other effective area-based conservation measures (OECMs) as a complementary approach to MPAs; stresses the importance of including OECMs to reach the target of protecting 30 % of the oceans globally by 2030, provided that the OECMs meet the criteria in this framework;

36. Expresses its concerns about the expansion and concentration of krill fishing catches in the Southern Ocean by some non-EU countries over the past decade and the associated threats for Antarctic ecosystems;

38. Supports the European Ocean Pact’s commitment to establishing a pan-European ocean observation initiative as a cornerstone for improving the understanding and management of marine ecosystems; supports the creation of an European Deep Sea Observatory in the Atlantic, while promoting the creation of a global network of observatories that share data and encourage mobility among scientists; calls for enhanced cooperation within the EU on research and innovation to strengthen marine scientific collaboration and mobility and reinforce EU leadership in marine science; calls for the EU, in view of the backsliding observed in certain global partners’ efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, to step up its efforts in and commitment to scientific cooperation for the preservation of marine and coastal ecosystems; underlines the need to provide adequate financial support;39. Calls on the Commission to establish, under the European Ocean Pact, a dedicated ‘clean Baltic’ initiative addressing the unique environmental and safety challenges of the Baltic Sea; underlines that the sea basin remains heavily affected by eutrophication, pollution and the presence of hazardous wartime remnants, including munitions, chemical agents and other contaminants on the seabed;

37. Calls on the Commission to support a five-year moratorium on krill fisheries in the Southern Ocean;

38. Stresses that scientific evidence must remain the backbone of decision-making in international ocean governance, serving as a common currency in multilateral negotiations and supporting sustainable governance in fisheries and aquaculture; further emphasises the need to invest in and assist scientific bodies that provide the evidence underpinning such decisions;

39. Recalls the importance of the EU’s global leadership in implementing the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework that recognises the importance of other effective area-based conservation measures (OECMs) as a complementary approach to MPAs; stresses the importance of including OECMs to reach the target of protecting 30 % of the oceans globally by 2030, provided that the OECMs meet the criteria in this framework;

40. Supports the European Ocean Pact’s commitment to establishing a pan-European ocean observation initiative as a cornerstone for improving the understanding and management of marine ecosystems; supports the creation of an European Deep Sea Observatory in the Atlantic, while promoting the creation of a global network of observatories that share data and encourage mobility among scientists; calls for enhanced cooperation within the EU on research and innovation to strengthen marine scientific collaboration and mobility and reinforce EU leadership in marine science; calls for the EU, in view of the backsliding observed in certain global partners’ efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, to step up its efforts in and commitment to scientific cooperation for the preservation of marine and coastal ecosystems; underlines the need to provide adequate financial support;

41. Calls on the Commission to establish, under the European Ocean Pact, a dedicated ‘clean Baltic’ initiative addressing the unique environmental and safety challenges of the Baltic Sea; underlines that the sea basin remains heavily affected by eutrophication, pollution and the presence of hazardous wartime remnants, including munitions, chemical agents and other contaminants on the seabed;

40.42. Stresses the EU’s responsibility to maintain its leadership role in international forums by driving multilateralism, engaging with all relevant partners in fisheries’ sustainability and ocean governance, including the United States and China, and setting global standards for marine sustainability and fair competition; highlights, furthermore, the important role of the advisory councils, such as the Long Distance Advisory Council, in giving advice to the Commission on policy formulation and implementation; points out the importance of their advice being duly taken into account in decision-making;41. Welcomes the entry into force of the WTO’s Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies; underlines that this agreement is a milestone in the elimination of harmful fisheries subsidies that contribute to overfishing and overcapacity, thereby fostering a level playing field and sustainable management of marine resources worldwide; encourages the Commission to build on this success through ocean diplomacy, by engaging proactively with non-EU countries, in particular with major fishing nations, to promote the ratification and effective implementation of this agreement and ongoing negotiations to agree the next steps, and to advance global commitments for sustainable, transparent and equitable fisheries management;decision-making;

43. Welcomes the entry into force of the WTO’s Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies; underlines that this agreement is a milestone in the elimination of harmful fisheries subsidies that contribute to overfishing and overcapacity, thereby fostering a level playing field and sustainable management of marine resources worldwide; encourages the Commission to build on this success through ocean diplomacy, by engaging proactively with non-EU countries, in particular with major fishing nations, to promote the ratification and effective implementation of this agreement and ongoing negotiations to agree the next steps, and to advance global commitments for sustainable, transparent and equitable fisheries management;

48.50. Calls on the Commission to ensure proper and full implementation of EU rules related to non-EU countries allowing non-sustainable fishing, to provide greater legal clarity on non-sustainable fishing practices and to trigger EU enforcement measures under EU law, including trade restrictions such as import bans, in order to strengthen the EU’s ability to address unsustainable practices, particularly those affecting small-pelagic stocks such as mackerel, and to ensure consistency between trade policy and ocean diplomacy objectives; stresses that many of these practices are already well identified yet insufficiently addressed by current enforcement measures;49. Urges the Commission to strengthen monitoring, control and enforcement mechanisms concerning Russian fishing activities and seafood trade flows, including transhipments and re-exports through non-EU countries; calls for further restrictions on imports of fisheries products from Russia; calls for strict traceability requirements and coordinated inspections to be introduced and for the entry into the EU market of fish caught or processed by Russian operators to be prevented;measures;

51. Urges the Commission to strengthen monitoring, control and enforcement mechanisms concerning Russian fishing activities and seafood trade flows, including transhipments and re-exports through non-EU countries; calls for further restrictions on imports of fisheries products from Russia; calls for strict traceability requirements and coordinated inspections to be introduced and for the entry into the EU market of fish caught or processed by Russian operators to be prevented;

54.56. Highlights the crucial role of small-scale fisheries in sustaining local economies and communities across the world; stresses that, for the EU to improve its strategic and food autonomy, it is crucial to rebuild EU stocks and, in order to create the conditions for the EU’s long-term resilience and competitiveness, it is essential for the EU’s small-scale fishing sector to be adequately supported both by the EU and at national level;55. Notes that all diplomacy implies a costly projection capacity, and it would therefore be appropriate to establish a specific financial instrument for fisheries in island and outermost regions, for instance by re-establishing the Programme of Options Specifically Relating to Remoteness and Insularity (POSEI-Fisheries), which has been integrated into the EMFAF, in order to support the sector in overcoming geographical and structural constraints and ensuring the long-term viability of local fishing communities; highlights the importance of ensuring the use of current tools, such as the Copernicus Marine Service, and new capabilities or technologies, such as drones;level;

57. Notes that all diplomacy implies a costly projection capacity, and it would therefore be appropriate to establish a specific financial instrument for fisheries in island and outermost regions, for instance by re-establishing the Programme of Options Specifically Relating to Remoteness and Insularity (POSEI-Fisheries), which has been integrated into the EMFAF, in order to support the sector in overcoming geographical and structural constraints and ensuring the long-term viability of local fishing communities; highlights the importance of ensuring the use of current tools, such as the Copernicus Marine Service, and new capabilities or technologies, such as drones;