4. Recognises the advantages of growth in different marine sectors, e.g. the development of offshore energy installations and marine mineral mining and the importance of attracting investments in that respect; stresses, however, that when realising these activities the utmost attention must be paid to avoiding damage to the marine environment and to fishing grounds; supports, in this connection, the development of Maritime Spatial Planning and Integrated Coastal Zone Management as a means of achieving a coherent and effective use of marine space; maintains that these planning and management tools have to be applied at the practical le ...[+++]vel in order to gauge the cumulative impact of the numerous human activities carried out at sea and in coastal areas;

81. Recognises the existence of favourable conditions for marine mineral extraction; stresses, however, that the seabed environment is linked to the rest of the planet through interchanges of matter, energy and biodiversity, which, if disrupted, may cause unpredictable changes in fish stocks and a loss of biodiversity;

7. Calls on the Commission, given that the region has a particularly sensitive marine ecosystem, for any factor such as maritime transport or waste, pollution of water, future drilling or building of new infrastructure on the coast that might impact on the health of the fish stocks, which are already in a difficult situation, to be evaluated with a comprehensive environmental impact analysis; insists that the precautionary principle and that of sustainability be applied whenever necessary, and calls on the Commission to update the li ...[+++]st of maritime activities (deep-sea mining, offshore energy production, etc.) which could have an impact on the marine environment and on the status of fish stocks;

83. Recognises that a more efficient use of resources, combined with enhanced recycling policies, offer a more cost-effective and sustainable approach to meeting our mineral needs than the intensive exploitation of underwater resources; deplores the fact that shortcomings in the recycling of raw and rare earth materials are contributing to an increase in waste, and calls, therefore, for measures to boost recycling industries so as to offer an alternative to sea mining; notes the long-term employment opportunities offered by this alt ...[+++]ernative approach;

Innovation can help reduce supply pressures. This can be achieved, for example, by developing advanced extraction (including seabed mining) and processing methods, designing products to facilitate high-quality recycling, and by enabling "urban mining".

The assessment of the long-term availability of global and Union resources, including access to urban mines (landfills and mining waste), coastal-sea and deep-sea resources (e.g., the sea-bed mining of rare earth minerals) and the associated uncertainties will be improved.