Dear Madam Damanaki, European Commissioner for Maritim Affairs
Surfrider Foundation Europe is a non-governmental organisation dedicated to the protection of the coastline and the ocean environment. Through local chapter networks, we organize operations to raise people’s awareness with beach cleanups for example. Within the framework of Keepers of the Coast, Surfrider provides support, both in terms of the regulatory framework and communication networks, for citizens and organizations when marine and/or coastline pollution incidents occur.
For 15 years, Surfrider has been campaigning to allocate a legal recognition to plastic marine litter that pollutes our beaches and our oceans, thus providing the legal means to combat this increasingly pernicious form of marine pollution.
Within the context of this campaign, Surfrider created a European petition which has gathered XX signatures to date. Today we deliver this petition to you. It is our sincere hope that this expression of public support for our initiative will enable you to take into account the urgency of this matter so that we can make concrete progress towards a cleaner ocean. In consideration of ongoing marine planning and ocean conservation initiatives, the persistence of marine litter is unacceptable. Beyond the ecological rationale for legal recognition of marine litter, this campaign reprents a central element of our organization’s environmental engagement due to its high visibility and direct links with public perception.
Numerous European studies dealing with water quality do not take into account marine litter as an indicator of water quality. This does not reflect a considered approach to strategic planning for the marine environment; the EU Bathing Water Directive does not integrate this key criterion. A modification of these guidelines is essential to help member states in taking concrete measures to reduce marine litter impacts and to raise community awareness. A holistic policy of marine litter reduction must be undertaken by key stakeholders: community members, corporate interests and government institutions.
The European governmental institutions must implement regulatory reforms to create a zero waste policy in Europe to ensure cleaner, healthier coastal environments. A key incentive for support of such reforms is economic—beach clean-up costs are a significant burden on local government resources and are contrary to the basic principle of polluter pays.
Respectfully yours,
SURFRIDER Foundation Europe