Europe’s oceans are facing a critical moment. From accelerating biodiversity loss to rising levels of marine pollution, our seas are under unprecedented pressure. Recognising this urgency, the European Commission adopted the European Ocean Pact  in June 2025 — a landmark initiative designed to strengthen the EU ocean strategy  and bring coherence to European action for the ocean. For organisations like Waste Free Oceans (WFO) , which work to reduce waste pollution and promote

The European Union has taken a historic step in the fight against marine pollution by introducing the first-ever threshold limits for litter found on the seafloor. These new rules aim to protect marine ecosystems from underwater waste, which is often invisible yet extremely harmful. Under the updated framework, EU Member States must ensure that monitored areas do not experience any increase in seafloor litter collected through trawl surveys. For areas surveyed visually—using