European Ocean Act consultation prompts NWWAC response calling for evidence-based governance, regionalisation, and parallel impact assessment processes
The North Western Waters Advisory Council (NWWAC) has submitted a detailed response to the European Commission’s call for evidence on the proposed European Ocean Act, arguing that any future legislation must be grounded in practical evidence rather than policy theory.
The submission, sent to Charlina Vitcheva, Director-General for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries at the European Commission, responds to the consultation on the evaluation and impact assessment process underpinning the proposed Ocean Act.
Support For Parallel Evaluation And Impact Assessment
The NWWAC said it supports the Commission’s proposal to run an evaluation and impact assessment in parallel, describing this approach as essential if the Ocean Act is to avoid repeating weaknesses seen in earlier EU maritime and fisheries policies.
The advisory council stated that the Ocean Act, expected to be proposed by 2027 as part of the European Ocean Pact, aims to improve coherence across maritime governance by building on existing legislation, including the Maritime Spatial Planning Directive.
According to the NWWAC, the Commission has identified two broad problem areas the Ocean Act seeks to address, ocean governance, and climate, pollution and environmental pressures.
The council said that running evaluation and impact assessment processes in parallel would help ensure the legislation reflects real-world conditions faced by stakeholders, regional authorities and scientific bodies, rather than relying on abstract policy objectives.
Reference to Existing Fisheries and Maritime Advice
The NWWAC pointed to its extensive body of previous advice to the Commission and to Member States, stating that these submissions should be reviewed as part of the current call for evidence.
The council noted that it has been providing advice on issues relevant to the Ocean Act since its establishment, including fisheries management, offshore renewable energy, social data in fisheries, and policy coherence between environmental and fisheries objectives.
Among the advice highlighted were submissions on fishing opportunities for 2026, the evaluation of the Common Fisheries Policy, offshore renewable energy developments and their impact on commercial fisheries, and the European Ocean Pact itself.
The NWWAC stated that these documents reflect years of consensus-based input from the fishing sector and other stakeholders operating in North Western Waters.
Emphasis on Regionalisation in Maritime Governance
A central theme of the NWWAC response was the need to strengthen regionalisation within any future maritime governance framework.
The council said European waters vary significantly in biological, environmental and socio-economic terms, and warned against one-size-fits-all approaches to ocean management.
According to the NWWAC, governance structures must be flexible enough to account for the specific realities of different sea basins if they are to be effective.
Continued Engagement With European Commission
The advisory council said it remains willing to continue working with the European Commission as the Ocean Act proposal develops.
In the letter, Alexandra Philippe, Chair of the NWWAC, confirmed the council’s intention to participate in further consultations linked to the initiative and to contribute stakeholder input as the legislative process progresses.