Europaudvalget 2018-19 (2. samling)
KOM (2019) 0380 Bilag 2
Offentligt
TO:
Ursula Von der Leyen, President-elect of the European Commission
Charles Michel, President-elect of the European Council
David Sassoli, President of the European Parliament
CC:
Frans Timmermans, Executive Vice-President
Virginijus Sinkevičius, Commissioner-designate for Environment and Oceans
25 September 2019
Dear Presidents,
PROTECT OUR LIFE SUPPORT SYSTEM
The ocean plays a critical role in human health and the health of the planet. It buffers us against the
worst impacts of climate breakdown, generates the oxygen we breathe, and provides sustenance and
livelihoods for people across the world. The ocean protects and provides for us all.
The new Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Special Report on the Ocean and Cryosphere (IPCC
SROC) sets out clear evidence that the ocean is bearing the brunt of the climate crisis. It offers a grim
diagnosis of the state of our ocean, showing that our planet’s life support system is under attack.
We all share the responsibility to pass a liveable planet on to our children and grandchildren. If the
destruction of the ocean continues, this will not happen.
The climate crisis is not limited to land. There is much that can and must be done to protect the ocean,
the largest habitat on Earth, so that it can continue to protect us. We urgently need to boost the ocean’s
chances of survival in the face of climate breakdown by removing the stressors that are within our
reach.
To revive the ocean, we are calling for leadership to:
● End overfishing and illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing. All EU institutions and member
states must implement and enforce in full the Common Fisheries Policy, specifically the deadline to end
overfishing by 2020.
● Put in place a robust High Seas Treaty by the end of 2020.
● Protect at least thirty percent of the ocean through implemented, highly and fully Protected Areas
by the end of 2030, with the remaining 70 percent of the ocean sustainably managed.
● Protect the deep ocean, through a precautionary pause on deep sea mining.
The scale of the pressure on the ocean is only matched by the size of the opportunity for leadership in
restoring the planet’s greatest source of life. As prime minister we are asking you to exercise that
leadership.
Yours sincerely