MONDAY 13TH JUNE

There is no Ocean B. What we must do to restore our blue planet
5.30-10pm, Bozar Hall M

The EU has one of the longest coastlines on Earth, covering over 68,000 km. 12% of this area (406,000km2) is currently protected by the EU Habitats Directive. However, over 85% of coastal habitats in the EU have poor or unfavourable conservation status, according to the EEA 2020 State of Nature Report. 

Following the One Ocean Summit in early 2022 and Brest Commitments for the Oceans, 84 countries are aiming to protect 30% of the world’s land and sea by 2030 - this includes the EU Member States, as declared in the EU Biodiversity Strategy. However, protection alone is insufficient: a combined approach of restoration and protection is an absolute necessity to address the climate and biodiversity crises on time. 

Since 2021, the European Commission has been preparing legally-binding targets to restore biodiversity and degraded ecosystems —in particular those with the most potential to capture and store carbon, prevent and reduce the impact of natural disasters.

This June, you’re invited to a high-level event bringing together decision makers and relevant stakeholders to discuss what can be done at EU level to protect and conserve our ocean and its ecosystems. Free access upon registration. COVID-19 measures in place apply.

Join us to:

• Discover collective actions you—EU citizens and decision makers— can take to help restore our ocean

• Call on decision makers to protect and restore European seas and coastlines

• Learn about blue NGOs’ rescue plan for Europe’s seas and coastal areas

Confirmed speakers include:

Patrick Child, Deputy Director-General, DG Environment, European Commission

Patrick Child is currently Deputy Director-General in DG Environment at the European Commission with particular responsibility for the EU’s zero pollution strategy, chemicals legislation, urban agenda, research and innovation for environment and communication. From 2016-2021, he was a member of the Board of DG Research and Innovation, responsible for clean energy and climate technologies as well as the R&I dimension of the post-COVID recovery and resilience strategy and Horizon Europe mission on Cancer. His international roles included Commission representative and chair of the steering committee of Mission Innovation and lead co-chair of the Group of Earth Observations (GEO).Previously, Patrick held senior positions in the EU’s External Action Service and served as head of Cabinet for Commissioners Benita Ferrero-Waldner and Chris Patten. With a background in the UK Finance Ministry, Patrick joined the European Commission in 1994, where he started in the Economic and Monetary affairs Directorate General before becoming Commission press spokesman for economic and monetary union from 1995-1999.

Hans Bruyninckx, executive director, European Environment Agency

Hans Bruyninckx is the Executive Director of the European Environment Agency since 1 June, 2013. In 1996 Dr Bruyninckx completed a PhD in international environmental politics at Colorado State University. Until his appointment at the EEA, he was professor of environmental politics and director of the HIVA Research Institute in Belgium, a policy-oriented research institute associated with the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven. Over the last 20 years, he has conducted research in areas including environmental politics, climate change and sustainable development. He has taught global environmental politics and global environmental governance in relation to the European Union (EU), publishing extensively on EU environmental policies and its role as an actor in global environmental governance. Throughout his career Dr Bruyninckx has worked with governmental agencies, civil society and businesses, often in an advisory role.

Grace O’Sullivan, MEP (Greens), European Parliament

Grace is a mother of three and an ecologist by training. A former Greenpeace activist of 20 years, Irish surf champion and a green entrepreneur, Grace is a lifelong nature-enthusiast and environmentalist with a particular love of the sea. Grace was a crew member of the Rainbow Warrior when it was bombed by the French Foreign Intelligence Service in 1985. After serving for three years as a Senator, Grace was elected to the European Parliament in 2019. She is now a member of the Fisheries (PECH) Committee, and the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety (ENVI) Committee. She is also a member of delegations on Mercosur and Palestine, and a number of intergroups and working groups, including the LGBTI Intergroup and the Greens/EFA Biodiversity Working Group.

Jessica Antonisse, youth ambassador, EurOcean

Jessica Antonisse works as a policy and advocacy coordinator with the ONE Campaign, a global movement that fights to end extreme poverty and preventable diseases by 2030. She holds a BA in International Studies from Leiden University and a MSc in Political Science from the University of Amsterdam. She is an active campaigner on international development issues, ranging from global health and vaccine equity to climate justice and economic reform. She has a strong interest in global affairs and the need to address global inequalities motivates her advocacy efforts. In her work there is often a focus to ensure perspectives of young people from all over the world are included in policy making. Jessica is a public policy fellow at Salzburg Global Seminar and served as the events coordinator of the We Are Tomorrow Global Partnership – a partnership between youth climate movements from ten different countries, that aims to increase ambitions on climate justice issues. For the past year and a half, she’s been actively campaigning for a fair and equitable response to the COVID pandemic around the world.

Barbara Rodenburg-Geertsema, small-scale fisher, Goede vissers

Barbara Rodenburg was born in 1969 in the urban area of the West of the Netherlands. Her father is a farmer’s son who became a technical engineer and her mother is a trucker’s daughter who next to being mother and housewife worked part time as typist and receptionist. Barbara studied forestry and nature management and worked as an advisor for a commercial engineering agency and for the Province of Noord-Holland. After that she worked over 7 years for an alliance of 30 local farmers cooperatives for nature management in agriculture. Barbara Rodenburg has always loved sailing and the sea. Since 1992 she lives on a boat. In 1999 she met the artisanal fisherman Jan Geertsema and became a part time fisherman. The couple married in 2002. In 2007 Barbara quit her job for the farmers cooperatives and became a full time fisherman. She has no children. Together with Jan she fully dedicates her life to their small fishing business and the preservation of the traditional small scale fishery of the Waddensea. In that struggle Barbara and Jan see their products as their most important ambassadors. Around those products they seek to build new alliances with consumers and restaurant chefs. Since 2006 the couple has had a fish stall at the organic farmers markets in Utrecht on Fridays and in Amsterdam on saturdays. To supply the market stall they started a collective of responsible fishermen "Goede Vissers". They are also selling the fish from themselves and colleagues to a growing number of interested restaurants. Since 2011 Barbara left the market to start her own little fish restaurant at the harbour of Lauwersoog. Every Friday, Saturday and Sunday she now cooks and serves regional fish at her own home port. Monday to Thursday are still reserved for the fishing itself.

Alexandra Cousteau, senior advisor, Oceana

Alexandra Cousteau lends her environmental expertise and influence to help guide the organization’s global campaigns to protect and restore the oceans. Alexandra is a National Geographic Emerging Explorer, filmmaker and globally recognized advocate on water issues who continues the work of her renowned grandfather Jacques-Yves Cousteau and her father Philippe Cousteau, Sr. Alexandra’s global initiatives seek to inspire and empower individuals to protect not only the ocean and its inhabitants, but also the human communities that rely on freshwater resources.

Adam Weiss, head of oceans, ClientEarth

Adam oversees a diverse programme at ClientEarth with four teams protecting human health and nature. He supports the Harmful Chemicals Team in making sure EU law protects people and the planet from toxic substances. He supports the Fisheries Team in making sure the EU’s Common Fisheries Policy delivers on its promise to eliminate overfishing and illegal fishing. He supports the Plastics Team in using the law to make sure that companies that produce and rely on throwaway plastic bear its real costs, so we can end the plastic pollution crisis. And he supports the Sustainable Seafood team’s work with market actors and policy-makers to get illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing out of seafood supply chains. Adam is also vice-chair of ClientEarth’s staff Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion Committee and has a background in human rights and anti-discrimination law.

Martin Harper, Regional Director, BirdLife Europe & Central Asia

Martin Harper has 25 years’ experience of conservation leadership. He is currently BirdLife International’s Regional Director for Europe and Central Asia supporting the work of BirdLife partners in 43 countries. He joined BirdLife in 2021 having spent the previous decade as Conservation Director for the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) – BirdLife’s UK partner. He has also worked for Plantlife International and Wildlife and Countryside Link.He was educated at Oxford University and University College London and undertook research in the Comores and Mongolia. He has served on many not-for-profit boards and is currently an advisor to the recently launched Real Wild Estates Company - the UK’s first ecosystem and species restoration business offering sustainable financial returns. He wrote a blog for the RSPB nearly a decade and has recently started writing a monthly BirdLife blog on the UN Decade of Ecological Restoration.

Tobias Troll, marine policy director, Seas At Risk

Tobias set up EDGE Europe, a community of progressive foundations, and worked at CONCORD, the European confederation of development NGOs. With a master’s degree in communication and development education, he is passionate about systemic change, rethinking masculinity, cycling, sauna and the ocean.

*Birdlife International, ClientEarth, Oceana, Seas at Risk, Surfrider Foundation Europe, WWF European Policy Office

OUR COMMITMENT

Blue Manifesto: Roadmap to a healthy ocean in 2030