“Seas and oceans are at the crossroads of human and environmental vulnerabilities. Preserving their health is in the direct interest of humankind,” today said the PACE Committee on Social Affairs, Health and Sustainable Development.
Adopting a draft resolution prepared by Yuliia Ovchynnykova (Ukraine, ALDE), the committee urged member states to prioritise efforts to safeguard marine ecosystems in line with the UN's Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG 14 on marine conservation.
The parliamentarians called for the enhanced protection of marine ecosystems through better implementation of international treaties, including the Bern Convention on the Conservation of European Wildlife and Natural Habitats.
To ensure a comprehensive approach to sea and ocean conservation, the committee encouraged member atates to incorporate marine protection into national climate policies. This involves actively engaging communities dependent on marine resources and promoting sustainable practices in maritime industries. Moreover, a comprehensive Council of Europe strategy should be drawn up to consolidate the link between human rights and the environment.
In regions affected by war, such as the Black Sea in Ukraine, the committee invited member states to co-ordinate their efforts and to better handle the environmental consequences of the war. The parliamentarians urged states to “collect and analyse information on mines and unexploded ordnance in the Black Sea, water pollution levels and other effects of war on animal and sea life and on biodiversity.”
Looking ahead, the committee invited EU member countries “to protect and restore 30 per cent of the EU’s marine areas by 2030 by expanding MPAs with the goal of stopping trawling in those areas” and called on non-EU countries “to draw on those measures to improve their domestic legislation”.
