On the role of ocean diplomacy for the competitiveness of EU fisheries and aquaculture

MOTION FOR A EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT RESOLUTION

on the role of ocean diplomacy for the competitiveness of EU fisheries and aquaculture

(2025/2054(INI))

The European Parliament,

– having regard to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, and in particular Article 43 thereof,

– having regard to the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea of 10 December 1982,

– having regard to the EU’s common fisheries policy and its external dimension,

– having regard to the Commission communication of 5 June 2025 entitled ‘The European Ocean Pact’ (COM(2025)0281) and to the joint communication from the Commission and the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy of 24 June 2022 entitled ‘Setting the course for a sustainable blue planet – Joint Communication on the EU’s International Ocean Governance agenda’ (JOIN(2022)0028), which sets out four key priorities: reinforcing the global governance framework for oceans, achieving ocean sustainability by 2030, improving maritime safety and security, and advancing ocean science and knowledge,

– having regard to its previous resolutions on ocean governance, fisheries and the blue economy,

– having regard to Rule 55 of its Rules of Procedure,

– having regard to the report of the Committee on Fisheries (A10-0000/2025),

A. whereas oceans and seas cover 71 % of the Earth’s surface and over 65 % of the EU territory; whereas the EU oversees the world’s largest collective maritime area, comprising 25 million km² of exclusive economic zones, a coastline of over 70 000 km, with 40 % of its citizens living within 50 km of the sea;

B. whereas the EU fishing fleet, which embodies the EU’s presence on the seas, comprising approximately 69 000 vessels, is one of the most sustainable and strictly regulated fishing fleets in the world, but faces shrinking quotas, high operating costs, burdensome regulation and unfair competition from non-EU countries with weaker standards;

C. whereas the EU imports 70 % of its seafood, creating strategic dependency, undermining self-sufficiency and exposing the sector to unfair practices;

D. whereas the EU is a member of 18 regional fisheries management organisations and plays a leading role in multilateral negotiations on rules regarding fisheries management and marine conservation practices, and their implementation;

E. whereas ocean acidification, marine litter, habitat degradation and climate change threaten marine biodiversity, while illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing and shadow fleets threaten EU biodiversity and fisheries, and create unfair competition;

F. whereas Brexit introduced new complexities to EU fisheries governance in the North-East Atlantic, affecting quota allocation, access to fishing grounds and trade dynamics;

Strengthening ocean diplomacy

1. Highlights that the EU is uniquely positioned to lead global ocean governance due to the size of its maritime area, economic weight, and legal and regulatory leadership; recalls that the EU has the largest exclusive economic zone in the world and is already engaged in safeguarding its marine resources for future generations;

2. Calls for the integration of ocean diplomacy into the EU’s common foreign and security policy to defend a rules-based maritime order, ensure the sustainable exploitation of marine resources, promote EU standards and counter IUU fishing and shadow fleets, piracy and hostile or violent actions towards EU fishing vessels and EU infrastructure, especially undersea infrastructure, through specific measures, such as naval missions;

3. Welcomes the European Ocean Pact as an integrated strategy that unites maritime security, trade protection, environmental responsibility and diplomacy; underlines that through a combination of naval deployments, infrastructure surveillance, insurance and market stabilisation measures, enhanced cyber defences and robust legal enforcement, the EU can maintain secure and dependable trade routes, thereby bolstering its credibility and leadership in the global rules-based order;

4. Welcomes the forthcoming New Pact for the Mediterranean as a flagship initiative to strengthen peace, stability and prosperity in the region; calls on the Commission, in close partnership with the Union for the Mediterranean and other regional bodies, to prioritise the implementation of this pact and to draw on the experience and best practices of previous such initiatives to ensure tangible benefits for coastal communities, ecosystems and economic resilience across the basin;

5. Calls on the Commission to make full use of robust ocean diplomacy as a strategic tool to advance common objectives through regional fisheries management organisations and sustainable fisheries partnership agreements (SFPAs), with a particular focus on ensuring a genuine level playing field and fair competition between EU fishers and those from non-EU countries, while emphasising the necessity for the EU to maintain a fishing fleet that can take advantage of the new fishing opportunities created by the expansion of SFPAs;

6. Supports the integration of maritime and critical infrastructure security provisions into EU trade agreements and partnerships, ensuring that maritime security becomes a core component of the EU’s Global Gateway strategy and the EU’s external economic and diplomatic agenda;

7. Notes with approval the joint communication from the Commission of 24 June 2022 on the EU’s international ocean governance agenda and the recent adoption of the European Ocean Pact by the Commission, supported by EUR 1 billion in funding to safeguard marine biodiversity and reinforce the development of a sustainable blue economy; welcomes the integration of the European Ocean Pact into the EU Competitiveness Compass as a strategic element for long-term EU growth;

8. Urges the EU to support stakeholders in establishing a European maritime industrial alliance that integrates fisheries, aquaculture, shipbuilding, strategic investments and technology, while acknowledging the interdependence of all maritime sectors in terms of competitiveness, employment, the green and digital transitions and the sustainable use of marine resources;

9. Calls for the European External Action Service to significantly increase investment in the training of European diplomats on ocean-related issues, with a particular emphasis on strengthening expertise in maritime and ocean governance within EU delegations and missions to non-EU countries, especially in coastal countries; calls for the involvement of the European External Action Service in promoting the strategic importance of the European Ocean Pact;

Fisheries and aquaculture competitiveness

10. Stresses the need to reduce administrative burdens and expedite procedures for projects that enhance food security; calls for simplified access to land and coastal areas through cooperation with the European Investment Bank and local authorities as essential steps for maintaining a sustainable and competitive aquaculture sector;

11. Urges the Commission to thoroughly assess the structural factors and trends affecting the long-term sustainability and profitability of fisheries;

12. Calls for targeted measures to ensure generational renewal and enhance the attractiveness of fishing careers through investments in modern, safe and digitalised fishing fleets, training programmes, disease prevention initiatives and improved working conditions; calls on the Commission and the Member States to strengthen ports and customs checks, making full use of a new EU customs agency, to protect fishers from drug and migrant traffickers and to reinforce the traceability of imported sea products;

13. Calls for support for the renewal of fishing fleets in the outermost regions (ORs) in order to safeguard the future of the fisheries sector in the ORs and as a contribution to sustainable local development; asks the Commission to ensure a particular role for the ORs in the EU’s SFPAs with neighbouring countries or regions, for instance in the form of infrastructure, fleet or sectoral supports;

14. Calls on the Commission to promote consumer awareness and encourage demand for transparency and traceability, ensuring detailed information on the origin, quality and sustainability of seafood products; stresses the need to develop market standards that guarantee a level playing field for seafood and marine products imported into the EU, ensuring that they meet comparable environmental and sustainability criteria;

15. Urges the immediate removal of regulatory barriers within the common fisheries policy that hinder decarbonisation efforts and fleet renewal, with particular attention to the needs of fishing fleets in the ORs;

Environmental and scientific leadership

16. Welcomes the EU’s leadership in global ocean governance, particularly through its role in creating the Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction High Ambition Coalition of 52 countries; calls for the swift ratification and implementation of the Agreement under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea on the conservation and sustainable use of marine biological diversity of areas beyond national jurisdiction, to ensure the effective protection and sustainable management of the high seas;

17. Calls for an international moratorium on deep-sea mining, to be promoted by the Commission and the Member States, including through the International Seabed Authority, until comprehensive scientific research demonstrates that such activities can be managed without causing biodiversity loss or ecosystem degradation; urges all countries to apply the precautionary principle and support this moratorium as a matter of global environmental responsibility;

18. Urges the rapid designation of marine protected areas in the Antarctic, including the Weddell Sea and the Antarctic Peninsula; calls on the Commission to actively advocate for these marine protected areas as part of a balanced response to the growing ambitions of other global actors in these regions;

19. 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; calls for enhanced cooperation within the EU on research and innovation to strengthen marine scientific collaboration and reinforce EU leadership in oceanography;

Trade policy and global ocean governance

20. Stresses the EU’s responsibility to maintain leadership in international forums by driving multilateralism, engaging with the United States and setting global standards for marine sustainability and fair competition;

21. Welcomes the decision adopted by the Specialised Committee on Fisheries establishing long-term arrangements between the EU and the United Kingdom, granting full reciprocal access to fishing waters until 30 June 2038; asks the Commission to remain firm against any unilateral decisions that would de facto reduce EU fishers’ access to UK waters;

22. Calls on the EU to intensify its engagement with Norway through the high-level roundtable on fisheries and oceans dialogue to resolve outstanding issues and ensure a fair and level playing field between EU and Norwegian fishers;

23. Calls on the Commission to provide greater legal clarity on non-sustainable fishing practices that could trigger EU enforcement measures, including trade restrictions such as import bans, in order to strengthen the EU’s ability to address unsustainable practices globally;

Budgetary and institutional measures

24. Strongly insists on the need for significant funding for ocean diplomacy, especially in order to maintain a strategic fishing sector; notes with concern that the proposals for the next multiannual financial framework indicate an allocation of only EUR 2 billion to fisheries and aquaculture for the 2028-2034 period, representing barely one third of its previous funding level;

25. Calls on the Commission to ensure that fishers and stakeholders in the blue economy have effective and simpler access to financing instruments, such as the European Competitiveness Fund, which supports investment in a sustainable blue economy, and Global Europe – the EU Neighbourhood, Development and International Cooperation Instrument, which underpins ocean diplomacy and efforts to combat IUU fishing, as well as complementary funding sources such as the Just Transition Fund, REPowerEU, Horizon Europe and the European Investment Bank;

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26. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council and the Commission.

EXPLANATORY STATEMENT

Europe’s maritime economy is a cornerstone of its prosperity: the blue economy contributes EUR 250 billion annually in gross value added, supports 5 million jobs, and underpins the functioning of global trade, with 90 % of the value of international trade and 80 % of EU external trade transported by sea, and 99 % of intercontinental internet traffic carried through undersea cables.

Small-scale fisheries are the backbone of many coastal communities, providing economic livelihoods, preserving traditions, and ensuring food security, but face declining generational renewal and unattractive working conditions. In particular, the Mediterranean fishing fleet is predominantly composed of small-scale vessels, accounting for around 80 % of the total EU fleet in the region, and is already facing multiple challenges affecting the sector’s attractiveness and socio-economic sustainability.

The common fisheries policy (CFP) is an exclusive EU competence and a cornerstone of EU food security and environmental policy, built on environmental, social, and economic sustainability, regional cooperation, and science-based decision-making.

The EU has the largest exclusive economic zone (EEZ) in the world and engaged already in safeguarding its resources for future generations. EU is thus uniquely positioned to lead global ocean governance due to its maritime size, economic weight, and legal and regulatory leadership.

Ocean diplomacy is no longer an optional foreign policy tool but a strategic necessity for Europe’s security, trade, environmental sustainability, and economic resilience. A coherent EU Ocean Diplomacy Charter should be used to influence trade partners, create binding sustainability obligations, secure fair access to stocks, and make Marine Protected Areas more efficient.

Fisheries and aquaculture are strategic assets for food security and rural development. It is important to acknowledge the broader identity and role of fishers as custodians of the marine environment, contributors to environmental tourism, and drivers of local development in coastal communities. The environmental measures must not undermine socio-economic viability.

The over dependence on seafood imports must be mitigated through self-sufficiency policies by engaging third countries to meet equivalent environmental and social standards as well as to prevent unfair competition. Cooperation between fishers and other maritime stakeholders in areas such as maritime spatial planning, renewable energy deployment, seafood supply chain organisation, the circular economy, and diversification under the sustainable blue economy framework must be strengthened.

The trust between fisheries stakeholders and EU institutions must be rebuilt through improved transparency, evaluation, and engagement in policy development processes. It is essential the international scientific cooperation and an increased investment in marine research to address global challenges and support evidence-based policy making.

A strong cooperation with the United States is vital through e.g. the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), recognising the role of transatlantic partnerships in advancing ocean governance and science. The withdrawal of the US from several multilateral organisations is regrettable, which has weakened collective action.

The common fisheries policy (CFP) must be supported by adequate and stable funding to achieve its objectives.