Five changes the Ocean Act should make
The MPA-CN connects practitioners, experts and evidence from more than twelve EU-funded projects and global initiatives across every European sea basin. Its position paper, published in September 2026, sets out what the Ocean Act should require.
The Ocean Pact’s sea-basin approach should become binding, with every maritime spatial plan including an assessment of how MPAs connect and a mechanism for coordinating with neighbouring countries. Each MPA should have an adequately funded management plan that includes a timeline for phasing out activities that conflict with its conservation goals. Member States should use common definitions of protection, strict protection and management effectiveness, so that progress towards the 30% and 10% targets can be measured the same way everywhere.
The paper also asks the Act to build on the stakeholder co-design methods already tested in EU-funded projects, with Member States documenting how MPA managers and local communities have shaped each plan. Finally, it calls for MPA management needs to be built into EU ocean observation through OceanEye and the European Digital Twin of the Ocean (EDITO), backed by long-term funding for the site-level monitoring that many MPA authorities cannot currently afford.
What this means for the Baltic
In a shared sea such as the Baltic, where ecosystems cross national borders, coordinated planning between countries is essential if MPAs are to work as a coherent network rather than as isolated sites.
A bridge between practice and policy
In September 2026, the MPA-CN launched its Solutions Hub, a shared entry point to tested tools, guidance, case studies and practical solutions for MPA management. The network proposes to act as a direct link between practitioners and the governance structures the Commission is setting up under the Ocean Pact, including the European Ocean Board and the Ocean Pact Dashboard, so that experience from the field informs how the Act is implemented.
SUBMARINER’s role
SUBMARINER is a partner in Blue4All, the Horizon Europe Mission Ocean project that launched the MPA Community Network in 2025, and our secretariat coordinates the MPA-CN community on BlueActionMatch. The work builds on our experience in maritime spatial planning and MPAs in the Baltic and North Sea.
Read the full position paper: https://mpacommunity.network/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/MPA_CN-position-Ocean-Act.pdf
Explore the Solutions Hub: https://mpacommunity.network/
