The signatories of this open letter to the President of the Republic – co-signed in particular by environmental activist Camille Etienne and François Chartier, in charge of the Oceans at Greenpeace France – urge Emmanuel Macron to obtain « a precautionary pause on the mining of the seabed in international waters ». Their argument.
« Mr. President, in 2022, during COP27, you took a position consistent with the scientific work and welcomed by civil society: support the ban on any exploitation of the deep seabed. This word counted, because it showed that the second largest maritime power in the world could choose prudence, science, protection of life rather than industrial haste.
But one year after the 3rd United Nations Conference on the Ocean organized by France in Nice, it must be noted that what you have called for has not resulted in a sufficient commitment by France in international negotiations, especially within the International Seabed Authority (AIFM).
Today, the French ambition must be realized. At the AIFM, France can change the balance of power and win a historic victory: a precautionary pause on seabed mining in international waters.
Seabed mining is not an ordinary industry. It threatens abysmal ecosystems that are still very poorly known, whose balances are fragile and their regeneration capacities are largely uncertain. Scientists and NGOs are constantly recalling that opening these areas to extraction could cause irreversible damage to marine ecosystems, fishing areas, climate and human rights. Faced with this uncertainty, the precautionary principle must prevail.
A test for multilateralism
The risk is not just ecological. He is also political. The decree signed by Donald Trump in April 2025 to accelerate the opening of deep-water mining threatens the maritime legal order. In doing so, the United States circumvents international law, weakens the role of the AIFM and encourages a logic of monopolishment of the common heritage of humanity. If the AIFM fails to protect the deep sea, it is the very idea of collective ocean governance that will be weakened.Did the Paris 2024 Olympic Games improve France’s international image?
France has played a key role in the adoption of the BBNJ (*) Treaty on biodiversity on the high seas, proof that it knows how to advance international environmental law. We welcome these efforts, which must now be accompanied by an equally firm line on the mining of the seabed. We cannot, on the one hand, defend the protection of biodiversity on the high seas, and on the other, allow an industry to open up that is likely to degrade it in depth.
Mr. President, you have the opportunity to transform the momentum of 2022 into a legacy. Obtaining an international moratorium before 2027 would be a strong signal sent to those who, all over the world, defend common rules against private interests.
We therefore ask you to take a clear and offensive position within the AIFM in favor of a precautionary pause on the mining of the seabed. At a time when some are trying to force the hand of the international community, France can and must respond by defending common rules. In this way, she will remain faithful to her word of 2022, her diplomatic ambition and her maritime history. «
(*) The United Nations BBNJ agreement, for « Biodiversity Beyond National Juridiction » – in French, « biodiversity beyond national jurisdictions », was adopted in June 2023. It came into force in January 2026.
source : ouest France
