Following the European elections last June, the new European Commission has taken office, and the committees of the European Parliament have been reshuffled. What will be the strategic evolution in response to the maritime challenges posed by these new balances and the orientations outlined by Brussels? Xavier Carpentier-Tanguy, director of the Geopolitical Observatory of Marine Worlds at the Foundation, provides a mapping of this institutional ecosystem.
The European elections in June 2024 and the subsequent French legislative election have resulted in a reorganization of a large part of the political structures in France related to maritime activities. With two French governments having quickly succeeded each other since the European elections, we will only address the European elections here.
General Presentation
The European Parliament has seen its 720 deputies renewed or re-elected for five years (in this specific case, 36 French deputies were re-elected, and 19 have never held an elected mandate at any level). Among them, there are 81 French deputies—two more than in the previous term, with these two seats allocated following Brexit—making it the second-largest national representation after Germany, which has 96 deputies, and ahead of Italy, which has 76.
Each of these deputies can carry out multiple missions through various specialized permanent committees, as well as in thematic subcommittees or within inquiry or temporary committees. On July 17, 2024, the Parliament set the number of structures for the term at twenty committees—each consisting of between 25 and 90 deputies—and four subcommittees. The ENVI (Environment, Public Health, and Food Safety) and ITRE (Industry, Research, and Energy) committees are the largest, each gathering 90 members, followed by LIBE (Civil Liberties, Justice, and Home Affairs) with 75 members and AFET (Foreign Affairs) with 60 members.
PECH (Fisheries) is one of the smallest structures, gathering 27 deputies and has even lost one member compared to the previous term. The committees generally meet twice a month in Brussels.
The Maritime World in the Organization of the European Parliament
The maritime world is not limited to fishing activities. It is also essential to consider the work of other structures that focus on port activities, such as the TRAN (Transport and Tourism) group (46 members), participation and regulation of global trade (INTA, International Trade, 43 members), regional development (REGI, Regional Development, 41 members), and environment, public health, and food safety (ENVI, 90 members). Two subcommittees are also particularly noteworthy: DROI (Human Rights, 30 members) and SEDE (Security and Defense, 30 members). Therefore, it is pertinent for some deputies to be members of multiple committees, facilitating transversal approaches or specific competencies to advocate for adapted strategies.
In a general perspective, I will focus particularly on five committees that are directly called upon to work on marine worlds as they will address logistical questions, support for local, national, and international infrastructures, regulations, food controls, and finally physical and military control of marine spaces. I will select the Fisheries committee (PECH), the committee working on transport (TRAN), the International Trade committee (INTA), the Environment, Climate, and Food Security committee (ENVI), the committee addressing foreign affairs (AFET), and finally the committee related to defense issues (SEDE). Of course, certain themes such as research or human rights can also be addressed.
Europe, a Global Maritime Power
The existence of the PECH committee demonstrates a clear sectoral interest: the sea plays an essential role and holds significant weight for Europe. In 2022, the European Union’s fishing fleet consisted of 70,986 vessels, providing direct employment for 124,636 fishermen. Also in 2022, according to EU Fish Catch, approximately 3.4 million tons of live weight were caught in the seven marine areas covered by EU statistics. The Spanish fishing fleet accounted for more than one-fifth of all EU catches (22%, or 752,000 tons), followed by France (15%, or 517,000 tons) and Denmark (13%, or 459,000 tons). Approximately 70% of total EU catches were made in the northeast Atlantic zone.
In 2024, the 3.9 million tons of seafood landed generated a value of 5.8 billion euros.
Such volumes require a legal organization to regulate and defend these activities. The European Union therefore plays a crucial role in international cooperation on fishing. The external dimension of its Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) defines a framework for the activities of EU vessels fishing outside European waters. This framework supports the Union’s participation in multilateral fishing agreements on the high seas under regional fisheries management organizations (RFMOs), as well as bilateral agreements with countries allowing fishing in their waters.
The TRAN committee can deal with files that are directly or indirectly relevant to maritime transport, which alone accounts for nearly 90% of all products transported worldwide. Furthermore, Europe’s weight in this type of transport is predominant, as four European companies (including the top three) are among the five largest in the world. These are the French CMA CGM, the Italian-Swiss Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC), the Danish Maersk, and the German Hapag-Lloyd.
Maritime activities enable the circulation of goods and facilitate the interconnection of global trade. Through the North Sea and the Baltic Sea, the Mediterranean, and the Atlantic Ocean, via the Strait of Gibraltar, Europe is geographically a maritime actor.
Maritime transport, through which the goods consumed by the EU transit and which are dominated by European companies, passes through the Suez Canal, the Straits of Hormuz, or Bab-el-Mandeb, which are strategic and sensitive locations, making the EU a major political player in the maritime world.
Political manifestation in this field—or European awareness—seems to be quite late. It was in 2005 that the European Commission, through its strategic objectives for 2005-2009, called for an integrated approach to maritime affairs. In October 2007, the Commission launched an integrated maritime policy for the European Union. Since then, it has presented two progress reports, the first in October 2009 and the second in September 2012, describing the main achievements of the EU’s integrated maritime policy and the corresponding sectoral maritime policies. Finally, Regulation (EU) No 1255/2011, establishing a support program for the development of an integrated maritime policy, was repealed by Regulation (EU) No 508/2014.
The increase in maritime risks—piracy, illegal fishing, drug trafficking—and the development of asymmetric warfare practices at sea (such as the actions of the Houthi militia in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait) necessitate monitoring by the International Trade and Foreign Affairs committees, which are naturally charged with study missions.
This consideration has gained importance, as a joint document, signed by the European Parliament and the European Council in September 2021, proposed a European cooperation strategy in the Indo-Pacific. This represents a first, as it is the first time the EU is explicitly recognized as a global actor.
Stéphanie Yon-Courtin, a member of the Renew group, serves as the vice-chair of the PECH committee. Additionally, three other French Members of the European Parliament are part of this same committee: Emma Fourreau, a member of the Left in the European Parliament (GUE/NGL), France Jamet, representing the Patriots for Europe group (PfE), and Isabelle Le Callenec, affiliated with the European People’s Party (EPP). This means that out of the 27 French Members of the European Parliament, three sit on the PECH committee. Melissa Camara (Greens/EFA) and Éric Sargiacomo (S&D, Socialists and Democrats) are also substitutes. As evidenced by the political affiliations, representation in the committees is primarily a matter of balancing political sensitivities rather than the nationality of the deputies. The activity can be informational, as evidenced by this publication on X from November 21, 2024, by Éric Sargiacomo.
French Members of the European Parliament (2024-2029) in the ENVI, PECH, TRAN, AFET, and SEDE Committees
| Name | Political Group | Committee Name |
|---|---|---|
| Grégory Allione | Renew Europe | Environment |
| Mathilde Androuët | Patriots for Europe | Environment |
| Manon Aubry | The Left | International Trade |
| Jordan Bardella | Patriots for Europe | Foreign Affairs |
| Pascal Canfin | Renew Europe | Environment |
| Laurent Castillo | EPP | Environment |
| Christophe Clergeau | S&D | Environment |
| Valérie Devaux | Renew Europe | Transport and Tourism |
| Emma Fourreau | The Left | Environment, Fisheries |
| Anne-Sophie Frigout | Patriots for Europe | Environment |
| Raphaël Glusckmann | S&D | Foreign Affairs, International Trade |
| Christophe Gomard | EPP | Foreign Affairs |
| Bernard Guetta | Renew Europe | Foreign Affairs |
| Rima Hassan | The Left | Foreign Affairs |
| Céline Imart | EPP | International Trade |
| France Jamet | Patriots for Europe | Fisheries |
| François Kalfon | S&D | Transport and Tourism |
| Isabelle Le Callenec | EPP | Fisheries |
| Julien Leonardelli | Patriots for Europe | Transport and Tourism |
| Nathalie Loiseau | Renew Europe | Foreign Affairs |
| Thierry Mariani | Patriots for Europe | International Trade |
| Marion Maréchal | ECR | Foreign Affairs |
| Philippe Olivier | Patriots for Europe | Transport and Tourism |
| Arash Saeidi | The Left | Transport and Tourism |
| Mounir Satouri | Greens | Foreign Affairs |
| Majdouline Sbai | Greens | Environment, International Trade |
| Marie-Pierre Vedrenne | Renew Europe |
28 out of the 81 French representatives are directly involved in work related to maritime issues and may potentially collaborate with Kóstas Kadís, appointed commissioner for fisheries and oceans, who was approved by the PECH committee on November 7, 2024, following his hearing in Brussels. The ENVI committee (Environment, Public Health, and Food Safety) also issued a positive opinion. The entire Commission proposed by Ursula von der Leyen was approved on November 27, 2024.
These parliamentarians are also expected to engage and interact with the structures of the European Commission, primarily with the Directorate-General for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries (DG MARE), one of the 40 directorates-general of the European Commission, responsible for policies related to fishing, maritime law, and maritime affairs of the European Union. Its director-general is the Bulgarian Charlina Vitcheva.
The Parliament, some of its committees and subcommittees, DG MARE, and Commissioner Kadís all have the mission to work on marine worlds around these strong ideas: in 2023, 47.4% of the value of products exchanged between the EU and non-EU countries came from maritime transport, according to a Eurostat figure from 2024. This is why a comprehensive strategy was developed and unveiled on March 23, 2023. It aims to clarify the so-called « Silk Roads » – the Belt and Road Initiative – launched as early as 2013 by Xi Jinping. According to its presentation, the strategy, called Global Gateway, aims to tackle the most pressing global challenges, ranging from combating climate change to improving health systems, while enhancing competitiveness and security of global supply chains.
Such a narrative and structural effort demonstrates the growth of instabilities on a global scale as well as maritime tensions, with the primary consequence being « the interest and need for investments in the EU naval defense industry in recent years. »
A significant innovation from the EU The new Commission, resulting from the European elections in June 2024, proposes a double innovation of importance with a new portfolio – the commissioner for defense and space – and a dedicated directorate-general for this mission. Lithuanian Andrius Kubilius leads the Directorate-General for Defense Industry and Space (DG DEFI) « charged with ensuring the competitiveness of the European defense industry and innovation in this sector by ensuring the development of a solid industrial and technological base. »
This takes into account Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 and the deterioration of the security situation on the continent; « strengthening the production capacity of the EDTIB [European Defense Technological and Industrial Base] is crucial both for delivering ammunition and weapons to Ukraine and for the defensive preparedness of European countries. »
This responds to a strategy presented on March 1, 2024, analyzing what is referred to as the « European Defense Technological and Industrial Base » (EDTIB). This includes the EU defense industry – including SMEs in the sector – with an estimated turnover of 70 billion euros and exports of over 28 billion euros in 2021. Approximately 500,000 people are connected to it.
The goal is then to increase the value of intra-EU defense exchanges to 35% of the value of the EU defense market by 2030 and to ensure that at least 50% of defense purchases by EU countries come from the EDTIB by that deadline. Finally, it is hoped that member states will ensure that at least 40% of defense equipment is acquired collaboratively.
In this context, of course, European navies are concerned, particularly for controlling European territorial waters, ensuring the security and free movement of vessels, and securing ports as well as strategic infrastructures (like damaged underwater cables in the Baltic Sea). Collectively, Europeans had, in 2021, 116 surface ships and 66 submarines, figures that have significantly declined over the past thirty years.
Indeed, according to the research director at the Marine Strategic Studies Center, Nicolas Mazzucchi, « Europe would have more than substantial naval capacity by 2030, with seven aircraft carriers, more than forty first-rate warships, and about thirty oceanic submarines. » This arises from various commitments (mainly from the Italian Navy). However, as of today, the European Union does not possess any of this equipment.
Moreover, the EU Naval Force, part of the Common Security and Defense Policy (CSDP), must cope with a fleet currently in constant decline and the capacity or willingness of each member state to participate in missions, some of which are considered successful.
Operational since 2008, the Atalanta mission is one of those. It has established a near-permanent presence in the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean, far from the immediate neighborhood missions of Sophia (2015-2020) or Urini in 2020 to control the arms embargo in Libya.
Since February 19, 2024, the EU Foreign Affairs Council, the collegiate body comprising the foreign ministers of the 27 EU member states, has launched Operation Aspides aimed at « restoring freedom of navigation and protecting commercial vessels transiting through the Red Sea. » By launching this mission, the main European countries in the maritime field demonstrated their willingness to adopt a line distinct from Washington and the US-led Prosperity Guardian mission, thereby highlighting the strategic autonomy and cohesion of the Union. However, operational feedback has also highlighted the difficulties faced by the German or Dutch navies regarding such commitments.
Conclusion The European elections of 2024 did not fundamentally change the major balances between political groups in the European Parliament. The distribution of positions among French deputies prevented the National Rally from obtaining leadership of the most important committees.
In contrast, these elections allowed for the updating of the organization of the von der Leyen II Commission, identifying strong stakes and addressing important strategic signals. The letters of mandate addressed to Kóstas Kadís, commissioner for fisheries and oceans (the plural is important), and to Andrius Kubilius, commissioner in charge of defense and space, illustrate an acknowledgment of the maritime mission of the EU.
Moreover, with a Lithuanian commissioner in defense and Estonian Kaja Kallas, High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, the European Union strongly inscribes the Baltic Sea in its political sphere.
Appendix. Mission letter from President Van der Leyen to Commissioner Kóstas Kadís I wish to entrust you with the role of commissioner for Fisheries and Oceans.
Fishing remains the cornerstone of our coastal communities and economies, part of our traditions, and essential for our future, ensuring healthy food in markets across Europe and the world. As a major maritime power, the oceans are of vital importance for our security, competitiveness, and the health of our planet, offering opportunities to many sectors and regulating our climate as the world’s largest carbon sink.
As part of our broader efforts to ensure European food sovereignty, I want you to develop and implement a long-term vision for resilient, competitive, and sustainable European fisheries, aquaculture, and blue economy sectors. You will ensure that the EU is at the forefront of global efforts to restore the health and security of the world’s oceans and support coastal communities in Europe in facing the unique challenges they encounter.
You will ensure that the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) is effectively implemented across all member states to support the fishing and aquaculture sectors, their competitiveness within the EU, achieve sustainable fish stocks, and minimize the impact of fishing on the marine ecosystem.
You will finalize and monitor a comprehensive assessment of the CFP, with particular attention to its economic, environmental, and social dimensions.
Based on this, I would like you to develop a vision for the fishing sector by 2040 and, if necessary, take appropriate measures to refine and improve the CFP to achieve our goals. You will need to address the issues affecting fishing communities, work towards job creation in the sector, and ensure its competitiveness and long-term sustainability.
You will act to ensure fair conditions and protect the European fishing chain against unfair global competition, particularly concerning seafood products.
As part of efforts to ensure fairness and equitable conditions for EU operators, you will work to ensure stability and predictability of access to neighboring waters.
I want you to develop a strategic approach for our external action in the field of fishing, ensuring that Europe maintains its international leadership with its zero-tolerance approach to illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing.
In this context, you will work on a new generation of sustainable fishing partnership agreements, ensuring that they align with our broader regional strategies and priorities, particularly for Africa and the Indo-Pacific. You will promote a coherent approach to sustainable fishing in all multilateral forums and bilateral dialogues.
Your work throughout the mandate will be framed by a new European Pact for the Oceans, ensuring the coherence of all ocean-related policies. This should focus on supporting resilient and healthy oceans and coastal areas, promoting the blue economy, coherent management of the use of our seas and oceans, and developing a comprehensive program for marine knowledge, innovation, and investments.
You will enhance our approach to maritime spatial planning to optimize different uses of the sea and the economic potential of the oceans while preserving their health and resilience.
Building on the EU Mission « Restore Our Ocean and Waters by 2030, » you will develop a research and innovation strategy for the oceans at the European level.
I want you to explore the feasibility of blue carbon reserves in Europe and other means to help build a new economic model for coastal communities.
You will ensure that the EU leads efforts for the ratification of the treaty on biodiversity beyond national jurisdictions and oversee its incorporation into EU law, with the specific goal of protecting at least 30% of the high seas by 2030.
I want you to develop a strategic approach for European ocean diplomacy. In this context, you will ensure that Europe plays a leading role in international ocean governance and participates notably in international discussions, particularly at the United Nations Ocean Conference in Nice in 2025. You will also continue to mobilize international support for designating new marine protected areas in the Southern Ocean.
Given the impact of climate change on coastal areas and communities, I want you to contribute to the Climate Change Adaptation Plan.
Throughout your mandate, I would like you to be present in the coastal communities of our Union and to organize dialogues on fishing and the oceans, particularly to collaboratively and inclusively design the European Ocean Pact, and to listen to the views of all stakeholders, including small-scale artisanal fisheries.
In general, you will work under the supervision of the Executive Vice-President for Cohesion and Reforms. The Directorate-General for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries will support you in your work.
Source: jean-jaures
