|
Press Release 10.06.2026
Today, the European Commission released its first ever European Strategy on resilient, prosperous and liveable coastal communities, alongside its strategy for islands. While Surfrider Europe welcomes the intention to draft a strategy that recognises, empowers and engages coastal communities, the strategy falls short of addressing what pose the greatest threat to the resilience of coastal communities: the dire state and vulnerability of the coastal and marine ecosystems which they depend on for their prosperity and well being.
A misframed strategy
Despite evidence of the alarming state of the Ocean and coastlines, the escalating impacts of the triple planetary crisis on coastal ecosystems, further exacerbated by the unique position of coastal areas at the land and sea interface, the strategy completely overlooks costal health. And with that, it misses the mark on the urgent need for stronger and accelerated EU action to restore coastal and ocean health.
While healthy marine and coastal ecosystems are the very foundation upon which coastal communities depend, the strategy barely refers to existing commitments to protect and restore coastal ecosystems, nor does it acknowledge the urgent need to translate (and accelerate) these commitments into concrete action on the ground. If it evokes the use of current funds or opportunities for blended finance, it forgets to commit to extra public funds for their effective implementation and scaling-up. In short, the strategy overlooks the most valuable asset of coastal communities: nature itself.
A missed opportunity to address the root causes of coastal degradation and deliver on marine and coastal restoration and protection
More concerningly, the strategy represents a missed opportunity to tackle the root causes of coastal ecosystem degradation, including coastal artificialisation, pollution, and the cumulative impacts of human activities, particularly those taking place along the coast and at sea.
While the strategy acknowledges the vital services provided by coastal ecosystems—from carbon sequestration, biodiversity habitat to coastal protection, water filtration, and climate resilience—it says little about the policies, measures, and investments needed to reverse current trends and reduce the pressures that continue to undermine these ecosystems. Coastal development for example, despite being one of the primary drivers of coastal degradation, is notably absent from the strategy. Yet addressing these drivers of degradation and investing in the restoration and protection of coastal ecosystems would deliver the greatest gains for the long-term resilience, prosperity, and well-being of coastal communities.
Significant concern over blue carbon credits development
Finally, the Commission’s confirmation that it will support the development of a certification methodology for blue carbon ecosystems—a first step towards the creation of a blue carbon credit market at EU level—is a source of concern for Surfrider Europe.
Surfrider Europe regrets the Commission’s decision to pursue this approach which raises significant efficiency, scientific and ethical concerns as underlined by our 2025 study on the matter, when it has the opportunity to increase direct public investment in the protection and restoration of these valuable ecosystems, whose benefits extend far beyond their carbon sequestration potential.
Yet, a welcomed push for coastal communities’ empowerement
The recognition of coastal communities as stewards of the sea and coastline resonates strongly with the reality experienced by our Surfrider groups and supporters across Europe. Every year, thousands of citizens contribute on a voluntary basis to data collection, environmental monitoring, citizen science initiatives, awareness-raising activities, policy shaping and campaigns against environmentally harmful projects. Surfrider Europe welcomes the Commission’s commitment to fostering greater participation and encourages further initiatives that enable meaningful engagement, co-creation and shared decision-making with coastal communities.
Next steps
In the context of this strategy and in light of the pressing need for more ambition to support the resilience of coastal communities, Surfrider Europe calls on decision makers to seize current and upcoming initiatives to :
1 – Scale up EU action against the pollution and degradation of our coastal and marine environment via the swift implementation of key pieces of EU legislation for coastal health, including the Marine Strategy Framework Directive, the Water Framework Directive, Birds and Habitats Directive, and the Nature Restoration Regulation
2- Prioritise the deployment of Nature-Based-Solution (NBS) to adapt our coasts to climate change under the expected Resilience Framework
3- Increase public funding for restoration and protection of coastal ecosystems including blue carbon ecosystems in the next EU budget
4 - Introduce an EU objective on costal land-use in the future Ocean Act to address one of main drivers for coastal degradation,namely coastal artificialisation, in lign with the objective set in the EU soil strategy
5 - Mandate the adoption of Integrated coastal management plans in every coastal Member State in the revised Maritime Spatial planning directive.
Gaëlle Haut, EU affairs coordinator: “With this strategy, the Commission missed the opportunity to introduce concrete measures for reinforcing coastal communities' resilience, having failed to address the main driver impacting their resilience: the degradation of coastal health.”
|