Achieving nature- and people-friendly offshore wind and grids: A call to address outstanding challenges

The new EU mandate will be pivotal for shaping the future of the European Union and its Member States. Indeed, with the current legislative term ending in 2029, the decisions made in the next five years will be catalytic in defining the EU’s pathway to achieve climate, energy and biodiversity objectives hand in hand.

A great deal of work lies ahead. A comprehensive package of policies will need to be implemented at the Member State level and will require further guidance from the European Commission to achieve our ambitious targets for offshore wind and biodiversity.

OCEaN – North & Baltic Seas is today launching a statement calling on European policymakers to address outstanding challenges and asks for the effective implementation of the following policy files:

• The Maritime Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD) and Maritime Spatial Planning Directive (MSPD).
• The Offshore Renewable Energy Strategy (ORES) and the Net Zero Industry Act (NZIA).
• The Biodiversity Strategy for 2030, EU Nature Restoration Law and Birds and Habitats Directives.

We also recognise that policy integration at both EU and national level is needed to efficiently address both the urgency to deploy renewables and biodiversity targets. Upcoming initiatives, such as the announced EU Oceans Pact, should adopt a holistic approach and serve as a tool to ensure coherence across all policies, sectors and economic activities linked to EU seas.

In order to successfully deliver on this, OCEaN Members call for increased regional cooperation, which include all relevant stakeholders, including civil society, and therefore, the strengthening of sea-basin fora (e.g., OSPAR, HELCOM, NSEC, GNSBI, etc.).

OCEaN – North & Baltic Seas is committed to supporting the European Parliament and Commission and Member States in the achievement of these critical objectives. We remain available to offer our expertise and collaboration to develop policies and initiatives and share practices that align offshore wind and grid development with environmental stewardship. By working together, we can achieve a cleaner, more secure, and competitive Europe that leads global efforts to net-zero and inspires the world with both renewable energy, and nature conservation and restoration.