MMinE-SwEEPER, together with its sister project CAMMera, has submitted a response to the European Commission’s Call for Evidence on the forthcoming European Ocean Act. The Ocean Act is being developed as a central instrument to implement the European Ocean Pact. It aims to modernise and strengthen Maritime Spatial Planning (MSP), improve coordination across sectors and Member States, promote a coherent sea-basin approach, and enhance ocean observation governance. The Act will also reference existing binding EU targets and streamline reporting requirements to ensure more effective and consistent implementation.
In their joint contribution, the projects highlight that submerged munitions remain a significant but insufficiently addressed challenge in European seas. They stress the need for the Ocean Act to explicitly recognise marine munitions as an environmental, safety, security and spatial planning issue requiring coordinated action at EU level. MMinE-SwEEPER and CAMMera call for systematic seabed mapping and inventory development, harmonised risk assessment methodologies, long-term monitoring, and stronger cross-border data sharing. They further emphasise that munition-related risks should be fully integrated into maritime spatial planning and permitting procedures, particularly where new offshore activities are planned.
Through this contribution, the projects advocate a science-based and coordinated European approach to managing submerged munitions within the broader framework of strengthened EU ocean governance.
Read the full statement here: link to statement
Photo credit of tile: Jeff Hester