The 40 commitments range from fighting marine pollution to supporting sustainable fisheries and investments in the so-called blue economy—the sustainable use of marine and freshwater resources for economic activity.
The commitments were announced during the annual ‘Our Ocean’ conference held in Athens this week and attended by about 120 countries.
“The ocean is part of who we are, and it is our shared responsibility,” said EU Commissioner for Environment, Oceans, and Fisheries Virginijus Sinkevičius.
The commitments include supporting 14 investments and one reform in sustainable fisheries in Cyprus, Greece, Poland, and Portugal worth about EUR 1.9 billion, and EUR 980 million under the EU’s Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF) to be used in Cyprus, Finland, Greece, Italy, and Spain’s to support four investments and two reforms to fight marine pollution.
Other initiatives are directed at helping African countries develop their blue economy.
Speaking on condition of anonymity, a Greek government official told Reuters on Monday that the conference will announce more than 400 new commitments totaling USD 10 billion.
The European Union’s Copernicus Climate Change Service said last month that ocean temperatures hit a record high in February, according to data dating back to 1979. Overfishing and plastic pollution are also major threats to oceans.
The conference has mobilized more than 2,160 commitments worth approximately USD 130 billion since its launch in 2014.
