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24 Oct 05 EU launches plan to protect marine environment Written by AOIFE WHITE BRUSSELS, Belgium (AP) _ The European Union head office on Monday launched a plan to make all of the EU's marine waters "environmentally healthy'' by 2021. Environmental groups, however, slammed the EU strategy as toothless, saying it failed to set clear legally binding targets to force governments to take action. EU Environment Commissioner Stavros Dimas warned that some of Europe's seas may already be close to the point of no return, as marine life is damaged by toxic chemicals, excess nutrients, intensive fishing and climate change. "The stakes are high ... 50 percent of Europe's territory is under marine water. Marine ecosystems play a key role in climate and weather patterns,'' he said. "Yet the marine environment is deteriorating fast.'' Dimas said 80 percent of marine pollution was coming from land-based activities, such as industry and farming. The Baltic Sea's marine ecology is already believed to have collapsed, he said. The Mediterranean Sea is under threat from uncontrolled coastal development, and European fish stocks are seriously depleted after decades of overfishing. EU countries will be asked to work with neighboring countries to find the best way to protect their marine region. They will draw up regional plans based on expert advice that the European Commission will monitor. The EU head office said setting up a supervisory network to run the separate marine strategies would cost euro90 million (US$108 million) for the first two years, and euro70 million (US$84 million) a year after that. Dimas said the benefits of a better marine environment to Europe's society and economy would outweigh the costs. "This is an area where there is a strong need for a European overarching and integrated approach. We want to ensure that European citizens today and in the future are able to benefit from seas and oceans that are safe, clean, healthy and rich in nature,'' he said. Environmental groups said the plan was "desperately inadequate.'' A coalition including Greenpeace, Oceana and the World Wildlife Fund said chronic overfishing had led to the overfishing of 38 of 43 fish stocks, such as cod and anchovy. "Today's proposal was expected to fill a gap in the EU environmental policy, which remains land-focused. It was intended to promote the protection and recovery of marine ecosystems, the alleviation of pollution impacts, and the sustainable use of marine resources. But the Commission's text falls short,'' the groups said in a joint statement. links Related articles on Wild Shores of Singapore |
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