From the European Ocean Pact to the European Ocean Act: The German Ocean Foundation is driving the development of a common European maritime policy. Europe has the world’s largest exclusive economic zone and thus a unique responsibility and opportunity to become a global leader in the protection and sustainable use of the oceans. Germany must play a key role in this effort.
Berlin/Hamburg, 4 November, 2026. At the German Ocean Foundation’s Parliamentary Ocean Evening at the European House in Berlin, representatives from politics, business, academia, and civil society discussed the future of European ocean policy. The focus was on how the European Ocean Pact can be transformed into a binding European Ocean Act that brings together the protection, restoration, and sustainable use of the oceans within a common policy framework.
The ocean plays a decisive role in shaping the future of humanity. It regulates our climate, produces a significant portion of the oxygen we breathe, provides food and livelihoods for billions of people, and forms the backbone of international trade. At the same time, it offers enormous potential for renewable energy, sustainable food systems, innovative raw materials, and a regenerative economy.
Nevertheless, in national and European politics, the oceans have thus far often been viewed in isolation, according to environmental, fisheries, economic, energy, and security interests. The general consensus of the evening was that this fragmentation must be overcome.
As a co-initiator of the European Ocean Pact, the German Ocean Foundation has therefore advocated for developing a binding political and legal framework based on a shared European vision: the European Ocean Act.