It’s nearly 20 years since the first “Earth Summit” was held in Rio de Janeiro in 1992. A tenth anniversary event was held in 2002 and preparations are now well underway for the twentieth anniversary conference in that same Brazilian city. Terrestrial issues have traditionally dominated these events but with UNEP identifying “global ocean collapse” as a key emerging issue, Rio +20 must also become the first global "Oceans Summit".
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Click here for educational materials on the marine environment in various languages for both kids and anyone interested in marine conservation.
The material is offered to you by Seas At Risk member organisations and other international organisations concerned with the marine environment.
Welcome
Welcome to Seas At Risk, the European association of non-governmental environmental organisations working to protect and restore to health the marine environment of the European seas and the wider North East Atlantic.
Brussels, 14th May 2012. European fisheries ministers expressed their opposition to the Commission’s proposals to improve the dire situation of fisheries in Europe and to pave a path towards a sustainable exploitation of marine resources. more
Brussels, 8th May 2012. The members of the European Parliament’s Environment Committee have voted today to significantly strengthen the Commission’s proposal for a new Common Fisheries Policy. The final opinion as approved is a clear sign that MEPs want to put sustainability at the heart of the reform. more
Brussels, 03 May 2012. In an open letter to EU Fisheries Ministers ahead of their Council meeting 14-15 May, Seas At Risk and the Fisheries Secretariat are urging Ministers to manage harvested species at Maximum Sustainable Yield (MSY) and are advising them to use a greater share of the fisheries subsidy package to improve data collection and controls. more
Gothenburg, 22nd May 2012. Seas At Risk will be speaking at the annual European Maritime Day conference this May to raise awareness of marine litter and the need to set ambitious reduction targets under the European Union’s Marine Strategy Framework Directive. more
Brussels, 25 April 2012. Ahead of the Fisheries Council meeting this week, Seas At Risk together with the Fisheries Secretariat sent an open letter to the Ministers, urging them not to support the mandatory use of market based Transferable Fishing Concessions as a way to regulate access to fisheries. more
The Hague, 16th April 2012. NGOs leading the fight against marine litter and plastic pollution in Europe are calling on European countries to set a 50% reduction target ahead of the July deadline this year when states are required to finalise their marine environmental targets for 2020.
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Brussels, 2nd April 2012. A gas leak that erupted at the Elgin offshore installation in UK waters last week has highlighted once again the risky business of offshore drilling. It also highlights the weakness in the proposed EU regulation on offshore activities not to include the development of an independent EU wide inspection agency. more
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Brussels, 20 March 2012. At the Fisheries Council meeting yesterday, EU Ministers spoke out in support of a discard ban despite a concerted effort by France and Spain to get rid of the proposal in the ongoing reform of the Common Fisheries Policy. Ministers also took the first formal step of agreement on aspects of the CFP reform by adopting conclusions on the external dimension. more
Brussels, 19th March 2012. In an open letter sent to EU Ministers last month, SAR and FISH welcome the Commission proposal for regulation on the common organisation of the markets in fishery and aquaculture products as well as for a new Maritime and Fisheries Fund. However, the groups point out several caveats that need attention in the on-going reform of the CFP and that need urgent attention before the end of 2012. more
London, 28th February 2012. Speed controls on shipping could save billions in lower ship fuel bills, cut air pollution and enable the shipping industry to play a full part in tackling climate change according to a new report. more
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Brussels, 22nd January 2012. The European Commission’s work on an EU ship GHG measure has taken a further step forward with the launch of an on-line public consultation. This follows a series of stakeholder events where industry and environment groups, including Seas At Risk, were briefed and able to put their ideas forward. more
New York, 10th January 2012. The protection of the world’s oceans look set to be given greater prominence at Rio+20, but the recently published draft outcome document needs significant strengthening if this important opportunity is to result in the urgent actions that are needed to save our seas. more
Brussels, 8th February 2012. The six European Parliament rapporteurs in charge of the CFP reform package have exchanged views with Commissioner Damanaki, Seas At Risk and other stakeholders on the future of European fisheries. Recovery targets, access to fish resources and a ban on discards were among the most debated issues at the event. more
Brussels, 20th December 2011. A new brochure produced by Seas At Risk and other european ENGOs gives an up-to-date overview of what is happening at the UN and EU level on air pollution from ships and provides recommendations on how to cut emissions quickly and significantly. more
Brussels, 17th January 2012. Over 70% of respondents to a European Commission public consultation have voted in favour of a ban on the distribution of plastic bags. Green groups Seas At Risk and EEB say the Commission should now act on this overwhelming support and implement a ban across Europe. more
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Brussels, 12th January 2012. A group of experts on marine litter has advised EU countries on setting reduction targets for marine litter for 2020. Member States now have 6 months to act on this advice and set ambitious reduction targets in order to combat this growing problem. more
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Brussels, 19th December 2011. Fisheries Ministers have once again missed their opportunity to place European fisheries on the path to sustainability. Fisheries Council negotiations on fishing limits for 2012 have resulted in a decision to set Total Allowable Catches (TACs) at a level which exceeds scientifically recommended limits. more
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Brussels, 13 December 2011. In advance of the Fisheries Council meeting this week at which fishing limits for 2012 will be set, Seas At Risk is calling on EU Fisheries Ministers to follow the best available scientific advice and set limits that enable the EU to achieve its target of rebuilding fish stocks to sustainable levels by 2015. more
Luxembourg, 12th December 2011. Today the European Court of Auditors has released a report which severely condemns the way in which EU fisheries subsidies aimed at reducing fleet overcapacity have been used so far. The Court has found that billions of Euros of public expenditure have done little to align fleet capacity with available fishing opportunities. more
Brussels, 2nd December 2011. The European Commission has presented its proposal for a new subsidies framework for the fisheries and maritime sectors. While the proposal contains significant improvements in relation to the current Fisheries Fund, some measures will continue to pump taxpayers’ money into fleets operating at overcapacity. more
Berlin, 3rd November 2011. SAR member organisation BUND has set out a list of demands for the outcome of the Rio+20 conference next year, calling for a commitment to sustainability that goes beyond greening the economy. The group also picks up on marine concerns, highlighting sustainable fisheries, MPAs and marine litter. more
Brussels, 23rd November 2011. At an event organised by Seas At Risk in the European Parliament, broad support was given by participants, including Commissioner Damanaki, for the inclusion of policy measures to encourage low impact fisheries in the new CFP. It is now up to MEPs and Fisheries Ministers to seize this once-in-a-decade opportunity of the reform of the CFP to give low impact fisheries the attention they deserve. more
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Brussels, 21st November 2011. The Shark Alliance has welcomed the long-awaited proposal from the European Commission for closing the loopholes in the EU’s ban on shark finning, the wasteful practice of slicing off a shark’s fins and discarding the body at sea. more
Berlin, 24th October, 2011. Speaking in Berlin on the marine environment and next year’s Rio +20 conference, German Chancellor Angela Merkel compared the current economic troubles to the crisis being faced by the world’s oceans. At the same conference, the Seas At Risk Executive Director called for German leadership. more
Brussels, 27th October 2011. Although including a positive call for an extension to the European Liability Directive, the European Commission’s Proposal for action on offshore oil drilling does not go far enough to protect the marine environment and properly safeguard against a Deep Water Horizon-style disaster in European waters. more
Brussels, 10th October 2011. The European Parliament’s Fisheries Committee has provisionally agreed on a schedule for the reform of the Common Fisheries Policy which will most likely prolong the process well into 2013 - The reform was initially intended to finish by the end of 2012. more
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Events
European Maritime Day 2012
Gothenburg, 22nd May 2012. Seas At Risk will be speaking at the annual European Maritime Day conference this May to raise awareness of marine litter and the need to set ambitious reduction targets under the European Union’s Marine Strategy Framework Directive. more
