Spain strengthens its commitment to protecting the oceans on World Oceans Day

Spain reaffirms its commitment to protection of the marine environment and global governance that ensures healthy oceans for future generations. Spanish foreign action encompasses diplomacy, science and environmental protection to contribute to this common objective.

Spanish leadership in intern​ational ocean governance

The global agenda for oceans is structured around various forums and multilateral agreements. Spain participates actively in all these initiatives, pursuing specific advances in conservation, regulation and scientific cooperation.

• A key milestone was the ratification of the Agreement on Marine Biological Diversity of Areas beyond National Jurisdiction (often referred to as the High Seas Treaty or BBNJ Agreement), which seeks to protect marine ecosystems in areas beyond national jurisdiction. Spain was the first country of the European Union to ratify the Agreement, demonstrating its commitment to the conservation of global marine biodiversity.

• This leadership is also reflected in the defence of a precautionary pause on deep-sea mining. Spain maintains that this activity cannot be continued without a robust international regulatory framework that guarantees protection of deep-sea ecosystems, which are especially vulnerable.

• Moreover, Spain participates actively in the United Nations OceanConference (UNOC), where international commitments for marine conservation are formulated. At UNOC3, held in Nice in 2025, Spain’s crucial participation advanced progress on governance of the high seas and regulation of new activities.

Progress on marine pr​otection under Spain’s term as chair: the Vigo Declaration

Spain’s participation as chair of the OSPAR Commission for the Protection of the Marine Environment of the North-East Atlantic enabled the adoption of the Vigo Ministerial Declaration, which marks a decisive step forward. This Declaration strengthens cooperation between signatory States and establishes new measures to tackle the main environmental challenges of the region.

The decisions adopted include:

• measures to reduce discharges of contaminants from ships
• strengthening of the fight against marine litter and plastic pollution
• protection of sensitive habitats
• enlargement of the OSPAR maritime area by more than 2.5 million km²

The Declaration also promotes initiatives for the conservation of the Arctic, reduces the number of derogations to leave disused offshore installations in situ and strengthens radioactivity monitoring systems in the marine environment.

These actions consolidate Spain’s role as a key stakeholder in the protection of the North-East Atlantic and in the modernization of the framework for international cooperation in this region.

Promotion of maritime decarbonization and​ ocean science

Spain chairsthe Council of the International Maritime Organization (IMO), which fosters measures to decarbonize maritime transport. One such measure is the Net Zero Framework, a set of initiatives to reduce sector emissions and contribute to the global fight against climate change.

Spanish foreign action is also committed to scientific knowledge as the foundation for decision-making. Spain promotes observation infrastructure and innovative projects such as the Mercator Project, which seeks to strengthen the EU’s Copernicus Marine Service and to develop the Digital Twin Ocean, an advanced tool for understanding and predicting the ocean’s behaviour.

Spain fosters oceanographic and polar research, which is essential to understand global processes and guide effective public policy.

New marine protected areas and ​​a long-term commitment

In recent years, Spain has announced the creation of five new marine protected areas, which will bring the total protected area to more than 25% of Spain’s marine territory. This places Spain among the countries most committed to conserving marine ecosystems.

Recent milestones—such as hosting the UNESCO Ocean Decade Conference (held in Barcelona), ratifying the BBNJ Treaty and chairing the OSPAR Commission—have consolidated Spain’s role as an international leader in ocean policy.

A renewed comm​​itment

World Oceans Day is an opportunity to remember that to protect the oceans is to safeguard our future. Spain, through a combination of diplomacy, regulatory action and science, contributes decisively to the conservation of the marine environment and to the construction of a more sustainable planet.