High-Level Roundtable on the European Oceans Pact

High-Level Roundtable on the European Oceans Pact

Following an invitation from the Director-General of DG MARE, Ms Charlina Vitcheva and from the Commissioner for Fisheries and Oceans, Mr Costas Kadis, our Chair, Yobana Bermúdez, participated in the first High-Level Roundtable on the European Oceans Pact, which took place on 21 February 2025. 

To contribute to the development of this initiative, during the exchange, our representative drew attention to several key challenges, including on:

1. A global approach with a market perspective that considers all relevant stakeholders – producers (fishers & aquaculture farmers), processors, traders, retailers, consumers, and other interest groups;
2. Achieving the ideal balance of the three pillars of sustainability;
3. Ensuring sustainable and sufficient supply through the sustainable exploitation of fishery resources and the sustainable growth of aquaculture;
4. Adequate implementation of consumer information requirements across all Member States and retail outlets;
5. Ensuring a level-playing-field in the market, while taking into account the products placed on the EU market imported from third countries.

Through the European Oceans Pact, the European Commission plans to set out a vision for a holistic approach to ocean-related policies. The Pact will be presented at the 2025 Oceans Conference of the United Nations.

The MAC’s intervention mandate can be accessed here.