In May, the European Commission presented the initiative A new approach for a sustainable Blue Economy in the EU. The EU Commission presents the new initiative this way:
“The European Green Deal and the Recovery Plan for Europe will define the European economy for many years, or even decades. And the EU’s blue economy is fundamental to both efforts. Not only should the blue economy adhere, like every other sector, to the European Green Deal. It is also indispensable to meet the EU’s environmental and climate objectives. After all, the ocean is the main climate regulator we have. It offers clean energy and sustains us with oxygen, food, and many critical resources. There just can’t be green without blue.”
A sustainable blue economy is also a priority for the current Portuguese EU presidency. Key events of their presidency are the Sustainable Ocean Panel Conference in Lisbon on June 7th and the Ministerial Conference on the Integrated Maritime Policy also in Lisbon on June 8th. Portugal and Norway are coastal states and share this commitment for sustainable ocean management.
This engagement also stretches beyond Europe. Sustainable management of the world’s oceans is crucial for our common future. The Norwegian Prime Minister Erna Solberg leads the High-level Panel for a Sustainable Ocean Economy, where the Portuguese Prime Minister Antonio Costa is also a member. The Ocean Panel’s conclusions are based on research showing that the oceans are both more important than previously thought – for human and planetary health, for the climate and food security, for local job markets and the global economy – and more vulnerable than we imagined. At the same time, the oceans themselves will be the source of many of the solutions.
