European marine policy

Europe is shaping the future of the ocean – and we are working with them

Since 2024, our mandate on the EU Mission Board for Oceans and Waters has meant that we are at the forefront of shaping European maritime policy.

The German Ocean Foundation as co-initiator of the European Ocean Act

The German Ocean Foundation is a co-initiator of the European Ocean Pact, as presented at the UN Ocean Conference in Nice in June 2025, and is now playing a key role in its further development into the Ocean Act 2026, which is intended to serve as a binding framework for implementation in EU Member States.

Our goal is clear: Europe should become the world's leading force for the protection and sustainable use of the ocean.

The Urgency Paper – the basis for a European awakening

Together with a close-knit group of experts, the German Ocean Foundation has developed an Urgency Paper ‘Make the Ocean a Priority Now – An Urgent Call for European Leadership’.

This paper is based on the ideas and concepts of the Foundation and is now becoming a key driver for the European Ocean Act. It calls for decisive European leadership in ocean policy with the message that protecting the ocean is both an environmental necessity and a strategic opportunity – Europe must act now!

The Urgency Paper emphasises that the ocean is the largest and most important connecting element for the European Union – ecologically, economically and in terms of security policy. It underlines that:

• Europe manages almost 20% of the world's exclusive economic zones (EEZ) – an enormous geopolitical potential;

• the ocean is Europe's largest untapped economic area, with an annual value of around €3 trillion;

• 99% of international data traffic runs via submarine cables – meaning that data sovereignty is directly linked to maritime policy;

• the ocean is home to many renewable energy sources and can therefore form the basis for a climate-neutral future;

• 80% of global trade and 70% of EU food imports depend on the sea;

• and less than 10% of European marine areas are currently effectively protected.

This means that the ocean should form the strategic foundation of a common European policy.

Mission ‘Restore our Ocean & Waters’ – our contribution to Europe

The German Ocean Foundation is a member of the Restore our Ocean and Waters Mission Board, with the goal to protect and regenerate of oceans, coasts and inland waters by 2030.

As part of this European expert committee, we contribute our experience from science, business and civil society – and work with international partners to develop strategic measures, innovative programmes and policy recommendations to fulfill the mission.

Our dialogue combines scientific findings with political capacity for action and social acceptance, thereby creating tangible paths of transformation for Europe.

From the European Ocean Pact to the Ocean Act 2026

The European Ocean Act, co-initiated by the German Ocean Foundation, defines for the first time a common European agenda for:

• Protection and restoration of marine ecosystems,

• Sustainable use of maritime resources,

• Development of a regenerative blue economy,

• Education, research and ocean literacy as the basis for social change.

The Ocean Act 2026 is now the next step: a binding, Europe-wide implementation framework that brings together national strategies, investments and research projects – and anchors the ocean as a common European issue for the future at the heart of climate, energy, security and economic policy.

Dialogue as the key to success

Our role is to organise qualified and continuous dialogue with national and international experts, European institutions, businesses and civil society.

Our approach: realistic, data-based and economically viable solutions that reconcile marine conservation and sustainable management.

Because the ocean is not only the largest habitat on our planet – it is also Europe's greatest unifying element and thus the key to a common and sustainable European policy.

Our mission: An Ocean Act for everyone

The German Ocean Foundation stands for a marine policy of cooperation – across sectors, countries and interests.

We believe that with the Ocean Act 2026, Europe can take the decisive step and be very successful in doing so:

• From vision to implementation.

• From individual projects to joint European action.

• From knowledge to action for our shared ocean