European Union to spend 3.5 billion euros to protect the ocean, says environment chief Conference mobilises more than 2,160 commitments worth approximately $130 billion

The ocean is part of who we are, and it is our shared responsibility, said EU Commissioner for Environment, Oceans and Fisheries Virginijus Sinkevicius..

The European Union (EU) will spend 3.5 billion euros ($3.71 billion) to protect the ocean and promote sustainability through a series of initiatives this year, the EUs top environment official said on Tuesday...

The 40 commitments range from fighting marine pollution to supporting sustainable fisheries and investments in the so-called blue economy - sustainable use of marine and freshwater resources for economic activity...

The commitments include supporting 14 investments and one reform in sustainable fisheries in Cyprus, Greece, Poland, Portugal worth about 1.9 billion euros, and 980 million euros under the EUs Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF) to be used in Cyprus, Finland, Greece, Italy and Spains to support four investments and two reforms to fight marine pollution...