EU has ‘ambitious framework’ for marine protection

The European Union will be making more than 40 new commitments for the protection of our seas in the framework of the Our Ocean Conference, taking place in Athens through Wednesday. These commitments add up to some 3.5 billion euros, the bloc's highest contribution since the conference began a decade ago.

Speaking to Kathimerini ahead of his arrival for the conference, which began on Monday, European Commissioner for the Environment, Oceans and Fisheries Virginijus Sinkevicius notes the enormous progress that has been achieved thanks to EU policies, while also underscoring the continued deficit in scientific research.

He goes on to note that Greece should "carefully assess" whether hydrocarbon extraction is "compatible" with EU and national decarbonization targets.

Over the last couple of decades, EU policies have focused a lot on the marine environment...