The Malta Sociological Association (MSA) notes the European Commission's initiative to develop a European Ocean Act as an important opportunity to strengthen integrated, sustainable and resilient ocean governance across the European Union.
The MSA recommends that the European Ocean Act explicitly mainstream Social Impact Assessment (SIA) throughout the policy cycle. While environmental and economic assessments are well established within maritime governance, the social dimensions of ocean policies often receive comparatively limited attention. Yet marine policies can have significant implications for coastal communities, employment, social cohesion, cultural heritage, public health, livelihoods, and social equity.
A systematic SIA framework would strengthen evidence-informed policymaking by identifying both intended and unintended social consequences, supporting meaningful stakeholder participation, and improving policy coherence across maritime sectors. This is particularly relevant for small island states such as Malta, where coastal communities are closely interconnected with environmental, economic and cultural systems, and where relatively small policy changes may generate significant social impacts.
The MSA also encourages the European Commission to recognise the growing contribution of marine social sciences to ocean governance. Recent scholarship has highlighted the need to integrate social scientific knowledge alongside ecological and economic evidence in addressing complex marine challenges. Embedding SIA within the European Ocean Act would represent a practical and effective mechanism for achieving this objective while contributing to socially just, resilient and sustainable blue economy policies.
Reference:
Penca, J., Ertör, I., Ballesteros, M. et al. Rethinking the Blue Economy: Integrating social science for sustainability and justice. npj Ocean Sustain 4, 40 (2025). https://doi.org/10.
.png)