Greenpeace urges Polish EU presidency to lead rapid ratification of Global Ocean Treaty
Brussels, 14 January 2025 – Greenpeace Belgium and Greenpeace Poland activists greeted guests at an event on Tuesday night inaugurating the Polish presidency of the Council of the European Union in Brussels with an urgent call for EU governments to accelerate ratification of the Global Ocean Treaty.
Activists held billboards in the shape of giant pencils reading “protect the ocean” and “ratify the treaty”. They told diplomats and politicians that Poland has a once-in-a-generation opportunity during its EU Council Presidency to lead the charge in ratifying the Global Oceans Treaty.
Images are available on the Greenpeace Media Library here.
The next six months will be vital in global efforts to protect the oceans. Poland’s presidency could play a significant role to protect at least 30% of the world’s oceans.
International efforts to protect the oceans will culminate at the UN Ocean Conference in June 2025, held in Nice, France. Greenpeace said this conference can only be considered a success if at least 60 countries have ratified the Global Ocean Treaty by then. The EU [1], France and Latvia have already ratified the Treaty (but are yet to submit their ratifications to the UN), but Poland and other EU governments have not.
Anna Ogniewska, environmental policy coordinator for Greenpeace Poland, said:
“The slogan of the Polish presidency, ‘Security, Europe!’, cannot overlook the cradle of life – the oceans. Unfortunately, the state of marine ecosystems is dire. Their protection and restoration is key to increasing global food security, and achieving global climate and environmental goals.”
Greenpeace, and other NGOs in the High Seas Alliance [2] sent letters to Polish government representatives a few days ago urging acceleration of the ratification of the Global Ocean Treaty. They called on Poland to coordinate international efforts to protect the global oceans, including the creation of large-scale marine protected areas in international waters. They also called for closer cooperation with France, the host of the 2025 UN Ocean Conference. Greenpeace also called on the Polish presidency to ensure that ocean protection remains high on the agendas of formal and informal meetings of EU ministers.
Anna Ogniewska concluded: “The state of the oceans determines the state of our planet and our security. Poland must take responsibility as a leader on the international stage and act decisively – not only for itself, but for the whole world.”
