Commissioner for Environment, Oceans and Fisheries, Ms Roswall, has told the European Parliament that the European Commission has not conducted a specific assessment of the feasibility of creating artificial islands or fixed sea stations in Member States' exclusive economic zones for the research, surveillance and protection of Mediterranean coral reefs. In a written answer to a question by ECR MEP Emmanouil Fragkos, Roswall stressed that existing EU legislation — including the Habitats Directive, the Marine Strategy Framework Directive, the Environmental Impact Assessment Directive and the Maritime Spatial Planning Directive — already provides a framework within which Member States may consider such structures, subject to environmental impact assessment.
The answer, published on 10 July 2026, comes in response to Fragkos's question, which cited the Nature Restoration Regulation's 2030 target to restore at least 20% of EU land and sea areas, as well as UNCLOS Article 60 granting coastal states the right to construct artificial islands in their EEZs. Roswall acknowledged that artificial structures could bring ecological benefits but cautioned that their impact on the marine environment must be carefully assessed.
On funding, the Commissioner confirmed that EU programmes such as LIFE, Horizon Europe and the European Maritime, Fisheries and Aquaculture Fund include possibilities for support, noting that concepts like artificial islands could be covered under climate adaptation, nature-based solutions or ecosystem restoration. She pointed to the LIFE NatuReef project, which is deploying oyster reefs, as an example of relevant ongoing work, and directed MEPs to the CORDIS and LIFE project databases for further information.
Roswall's answer leaves the initiative firmly with Member States, stating that it is for them to ensure authorisation complies with EU law. No timeline or commitment to a dedicated EU-level feasibility study was given, signalling that the Commission currently sees no need for a centralised assessment or pilot programme. The reply thus maintains a cautious, framework-based approach rather than endorsing new infrastructure projects, disappointing those who had hoped for EU-led support for artificial island pilots in the Mediterranean.