Brussels (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – UN Secretary-General António Guterres joins EU leaders at the European Council and discusses future initiatives in preparation for the UN Ocean Conference next June.
The European Council invited UN Secretary-General Guterres for a working lunch today in Brussels. Core talking points are multilateralism and international cooperation and, in preparation for the upcoming UN Ocean Conference, the next steps to conserve and sustainably use the oceans.
President Costa insisted that, in light of all the global challenges that the EU is facing now, this is the time to strengthen ties with the United Nations and closely cooperate with it in many areas, from fighting climate change and inequalities to protecting the oceans and biodiversity.
2025 UN Ocean Conference
France and Costa Rica will co-host the UN Ocean Conference in Nice, France, between June 9 and June 13, 2025. The theme of the gathering will be “Accelerating action and mobilizing all actors to conserve and sustainably use the ocean.”
The conference will insist on moving faster towards more sustainable uses of the sea and it will bring together all the actors involved, from governmental to non-governmental bodies, the scientific community, the private sector, civil society organizations and Indigenous Peoples and local communities.
EU insitution’s commitment to the oceans
EU Commissioner for Fisheries and Oceans Costas Kadis met with the ENVI Committee – the EU Parliament Committee on Environment, Climate and Food Safety – last month and insisted on the need for coherence across policy areas to be as effective as possible.
The Commission is determined to ratify a legislative framework for BBNJ, the UN Marine Biodiversity of Areas beyond National Jurisdiction Agreement signed by the EU in 2023, before the conference in June.
Commissioner Kadis is also expected to present the European Ocean Pact by the end of spring, a commitment to balance economic growth and a sustainable use of the oceans, and to ensure coherence across the EU when it comes to policies affecting the sea.
Is international cooperation on the line?
Both President Costa and Secretary-General Guterres stressed on the importance of the implementation of the UN Pact for the Future, an agreement based on sustainability, international peace and security, technological innovation and fostering equality across all continents.
When asked about international cooperation and weather he was concerned with the United States withdrawing from some UN agreements, including the Paris Agreement on fighting climate change, the Secretary-General only said that
Multilateralism is alive, it’s playing a role, and the proof of that is the fact that I am here with the European Union.
