Oceana urges the incoming Cypriot Presidency of the Council to secure decades of progress on rebuilding fisheries and to pursue ocean health as a strategic pillar for EU security, climate resilience, and sustainable livelihoods

As Cyprus begins its presidency of the Council of the EU, Oceana calls on the Mediterranean island nation to steer the Union towards an unequivocal strategic direction: a restored ocean that strengthens Europe’s security by providing food, employment, and resilience against the climate crisis. The first semester of 2026 will be decisive in preserving effective fisheries legislation and in drafting a coherent framework that protects the ocean and the communities that depend on it.

Vera Coelho, Oceana’s Executive Director and Vice President in Europe, said: “Cyprus is on the frontline of the devastation caused by climate change and by the depletion of fish stocks in the Mediterranean. As an island nation and the home country of the European Commissioner for Fisheries and Oceans, Costas Kadis, Cyprus has the opportunity and the responsibility to set the tone for the next decade of ocean policy. It is crucial that this Presidency safeguards the benefits of ocean recovery, achieved after decades of hard work, and now threatened by the so-called ‘simplification’ agenda of industrial lobbies”.

The Cypriot Presidency of the Council of the EU comes at a critical time for marine policy in Europe. During the first half of 2026, the European Commission will conclude its evaluation of the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) and, based on its results, decide whether to initiate a revision of this key EU law. Other initiatives, such as the development of the EU Ocean Act, the publication of a 2040 vision for EU fisheries, the achievement of internationally agreed marine protection targets, and the fight against illegal fishing, will remain at the top of the EU ocean agenda in 2026.

Oceana calls on the Cypriot Presidency to lead Council discussions with a view to:

1. Support an Ocean Act that gives coherence to EU marine policies, ensures enforcement, and enshrines internationally agreed targets in EU law.
2. Secure the implementation of the CFP and accelerate a transition towards low-impact fishing.
3. Rebuild fish populations and fight illegal fishing.
4. End destructive fishing in marine protected areas and in deep Mediterranean waters.
5. Revise the Common Market Organisation regulation to require consumer information for all seafood.

The Cypriot Presidency of the Council of the EU will play a central role in leading discussions about how these ocean policies can best be developed and implemented to restore and protect ocean health, abundance, and biodiversity, for the benefit of the planet and of coastal populations who depend upon the sea.

Risk of undoing years of ocean recovery

Cyprus assumes the presidency amid calls by industrial lobbies to undo, delay or block the implementation of key fisheries and environmental legislation. Yet, at a time of geopolitical instability, the EU must remain credible and demonstrate internal coherence. Postponing, weakening or failing to implement legislation aimed at restoring the health and abundance of ocean resources that underpin the blue economy is short-sighted and creates regulatory uncertainty.

Oceana believes it would be a strategic mistake to reverse the recovery trend in ocean abundance, achieved after decades of hard work and compromise. Facilitating and perpetuating industrial ocean damage under the ‘simplification’ motto will only put at risk European coastal communities and make the Union more dependent on foreign actors.

Facing some of the most rapidly warming marine waters in the world, fish stock depletion, and high levels of marine invasive species, Cyprus is among the EU countries most impacted by ocean degradation. Its Presidency of the EU Council presents an opportunity to steer the EU towards ocean restoration and recovery, for the benefit of coastal communities and the blue economy.