By 2030, the EU aims to protect 30% of its land and sea areas. Reaching conservation and restoration goals entails sustainable governance of increasing human use of space and marine resources. Importantly, the EU and its member states need to steer towards more responsible fisheries to decrease harmful impacts of fishing on target/non-target species and habitats, on the one hand, and to increase the potential of fisheries to support food systems, ecological quality and human wellbeing (e.g. coastal communities, tourism), on the other. Cases under this regime complex contribute to the European Green Deal ambitions toward preservation and restoration of ecosystems and biodiversity while further developing sustainable food production. The focus is on seabed integrity in the Baltic Sea and sustainable fisheries in Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) in the Mediterranean Sea (Italy).