European Commission chief unveils EU ocean pact at UN conference
The EU has struck a new ocean pact meant to protect Europe's coasts and "life in and around the sea", European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on Monday at the United Nations Ocean Conference in Nice.
The EU's goal is to bring 20% of Europe's marine ecosystems back to life by 2030, she explained.
'We will strive to cut plastic and nutrient pollution by half within five years,' von der Leyen announced, adding: 'We will restore natural habitats and shelter our coasts more effectively from the impact of climate change.'
The European Commission adopted the pact last Thursday. The strategy aims to enhance ocean protection and restoration by supporting member states and revising several European laws related to maritime areas.
The EU's executive also wants to boost the competitiveness of the maritime industry with a new strategy for the sector and a strategy for EU ports.
'Our fishers work tirelessly to feed us, day and night, in all conditions. Yet extreme weather and unfair competition are pushing too many of them out of business,' the Commission president said, announcing some grants to support small-scale fisheries.
Von der Leyen also promised that €1 billion would be allocated for 50 projects around the world for scientists and conservationists, a third of which is due to finance research and scientific projects.
The pact should lead to specific legislation that will be proposed by 2027, the Commission said.
Eight years after the inaugural edition in New York, France is hosting the third United Nations Ocean Conference (UNOC3) in Nice from Monday to Friday. Around 60 countries are coming together to support the protection and restoration of ocean spaces damaged by human activity.
Unlike the United Nations' climate change conferences, or COPs, no formal agreement can be negotiated during the UNOC3.
However, France hopes to secure as many signatures as possible for the High Seas Treaty, which requires 60 countries to ratify it for it to enter into force. The treaty aims to enable the creation of protected marine areas in international waters.
'Today, we are inches away from the 60 signatures for ratification,' von der Leyen said, announcing €40 million for the Global Ocean programme designed to strengthen protection of oceans in least developed countries.
'Please speed up ratification. Because our ocean needs us to play its part,' she added.
In yet another massive overnight attack, Russia launched a total of 499 drones and missiles at Ukraine on Monday.
According to the official statement by Ukraine's Air Defence forces, 479 of them have been downed.
In a record wave of strikes, Moscow launched 479 Shahed‑type attack drones and various decoy UAVs, four Kh‑47M2 "Kinzhal" air-launched ballistic missiles, 10 Kh‑101 cruise missiles, three Kh‑22 cruise missiles, two Kh‑31P anti‑radar missiles and one Kh‑35 cruise missile.
Ukraine reportedly neutralised 479 of the incoming targets, shooting down 292 and jamming 187 via electronic warfare.
Head of the Communications Department of the Ukrainian Air Force Command Colonel Yurii Ihnat stated the Russian attack overnight mainly targeted one of Ukraine's operational airfields.
Ukraine's Air Force issued aerial alerts throughout the overnight on Monday, warning multiple regions of the threat of ballistic missiles and Shahed-type attack drones.
In the evening address on Sunday, Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy also urged Ukrainians to pay attention to air raid warnings in the coming days.
He said Kyiv continues to work on strengthening Ukraine's air defence. 'We urgently need positive signals from the United States regarding air defence systems — we are still waiting for a response to our request to purchase systems that can help.'
Apart from Kyiv, Russia's latest attacks have specifically targeted western Ukraine. At least one person was reported injured in the city of Rivne in northwestern Ukraine, near the border with Belarus.
The Operational Command of the Polish Armed Forces said it scrambled fighter jets in response to the Russian aerial attacks in western Ukraine.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Fashion Network
2 hours ago
- Fashion Network
French Senate approves ‘anti-fast-fashion' bill chiefly targeting Shein, Temu
Louwagie said that the government will notify the European Commission of this bill even before the end of the joint parliamentary committee work that will start soon, and that the government will also work on the decrees regulating the bill's application, and notably define the thresholds that will formally identify an operator as 'ultra-express' or 'ultra-fast-fashion'. Before the vote, the representatives of the various Senate groups spoke to explain their positions on the vote. An opportunity to underline for some the positive amendments made to the bill, and its weaknesses for others. Many senators welcomed the removal of a provision of the 2022 anti-waste law on unsold goods, which allowed ultra-fast-fashion operators to benefit from tax allowances when donating unsold goods to charitable associations. The re-introduction of a blanket ban on advertising for ultra-express fashion operators was also appreciated. 'This law does not prohibit, it protects by defining what is abnormal. It protects our environment and that of our children. It protects the economy and our textile industry. We can be happy we are giving ourselves the means to achieve our goals,' said Nicole Bonnefoy, representing the Socialist, Ecologist and Republican group, adding that 'we welcome the re-introduction of article three, which will form a negotiation basis for requesting an amendment to the European e-commerce directive, so that these restrictive measures can be made to apply to companies based for example in Ireland.' Although the amendments have been approved by the groups, several points still prompted strong reservations. The introduction of the term 'ultra-express fashion' has led to much teeth-gnashing among environmental associations and sustainable fashion brands, which believe that the aim of fencing in all types of fast-fashion practices is no longer being pursued. Jacques Fernique of Ecologist group Solidarité et territoires insisted on this aspect, emphasising that the various laws will not enter into force for many months yet, since they have to be examined again by the European Commission and the joint parliamentary committee, something which won't happen before the autumn. 'Today's vote is a relatively positive step. Shein, Temu and Amazon are pushing to the extreme a business model that destroys local jobs and our city centres' appeal. But both ultra-express fast fashion and fast fashion adopt the same approach, selling transient, low-cost disposable products. This bill is targeting the ultra-fast fashion explosion, but we can't see why the penalties shouldn't potentially apply to everyone.' Fernique is campaigning for provisions that would 'push back against the kind of disposable fashion sold by foreign platforms but also by French and European companies. It's sustainable fashion that we ought to promote, regardless of the nationality of who sells it.' An issue which the majority of senators did not endorse. 'This bill has set a course. It doesn't pretend to solve everything, but it intends to draw boundaries,' said Valente Le Hir, who is affiliated with the Republican group and is the bill's rapporteur in the Senate. She has advocated for the middle ground in various issues, asserting that the Senate wants to draw up a 'stronger bill, not a travesty of it. We have said it's time to limit the excesses of express fashion without penalising those who are working towards greater sustainability in the industry. [The bill] has distinguished, within a poorly understood sector, what constitutes planned overconsumption and what constitutes sustainable innovation. We've clarified the target. We've drawn a clear line between what we want to regulate, ultra-express fast fashion as embodied by platforms like Shein and Temu, and what we want to preserve, in other words affordable, locally rooted fashion that generates jobs in France, that anchors our communities, creates connections and boosts local industry.' After the government will have sent the text over to the European Commission, the latter will have three to four months to comment. And while French MPs and senators will be working within the joint parliamentary committee, the Commission's analysis and observations will play a key role in the bill's final wording and provisions. In the meantime, the lobbying efforts that have been ongoing for months are set to continue.
France 24
3 hours ago
- France 24
Clothes at what cost? French fast fashion bill puts onus on Chinese brands
France's senate passed a bill to curb advertising and tax pollution on fast fashion, with lawmakers even talking up the distinction of ultra fast fashion - garments made in a hurry - more and more using polyester and other polluting plastics, shipped at warp speed by plane and which fall apart after only a few washes. Has the bill been partially stripped bare though? The new version seems to include a carve-out for European giants that peddle cheap clothes with the focus mostly now on China. In fact, Europeans like the Trump administration are working to close the tax loophole on the kind of small parcels that go out by the millions from small garment factories in China. And while the likes of Shein and Temu enroll big names to lobby, including a former European Commissioner and a former interior minister of Emmanuel Macron, we asked who's winning the hearts and minds of consumers in this battle over an industry that represents up to ten percent of humanity's carbon footprint.
LeMonde
4 hours ago
- LeMonde
Environmental transition: The two faces of Emmanuel Macron
Emmanuel Macron donned his greenest suit, the one reserved for international summits and United Nations climate conferences. From the moment he arrived at the United Nations Ocean Conference (UNOC) in Nice, the French president delivered a series of impassioned statements on environmental issues, taking a combative stance against less active countries. None of the 2,300 scientists present in Nice would have disagreed with such remarks. "Climate and biodiversity are not matters of opinion, they are matters of scientifically established facts," said the president on Monday, June 9, as he welcomed the 63 other heads of state and government on the French Riviera. As for the predatory ambitions of Donald Trump and other powers: "The abyss is not for sale, any more than Greenland is up for grabs, no more than Antarctica or the high seas are for sale," he said that same day. The United States' desire to drill the seabed? "Pure madness..." This is a familiar position for Macron on the international stage. On June 1, 2017, he made a notable entrance into climate diplomacy with his "Make our planet great again" speech, delivered the night Trump announced the US withdrawal from the Paris climate agreement. Even though his image has been tarnished somewhat in recent years, he still delivers rousing addresses at climate conferences. "The top priority is for the most advanced countries to get out of fossil fuels," he insisted on December 1, 2023, at COP28 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
