Brussels, 25/07/2013 (Agence Europe) - The EU and member states hope to launch an international process aimed at safeguarding marine biodiversity in the high seas, i.e. maritime areas that are beyond national jurisdiction. In a letter addressed to the United Nations on Tuesday 23 July, the Lithuanian Presidency of the EU Council proposes to negotiate an agreement under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). The agreement would establish a clear political mandate intended to protect marine ecosystems through the setting in place of protected maritime areas and the setting in place of standards for assessing the impact of human activity.
Although Oceana, the international organisation for protecting the world's seas and oceans, applauds the proposal, it insists that “this proposal should not remain a mere declaration of intent”, and underlines the need for “immediate action at the international level” to deal with overexploited fisheries and increasing offshore industrial activities for minerals or genetic resources. The “high seas” cover some 64% of the surface of the world's oceans and provide over 90% of its volume, it points out.
In its letter, the EU invites the UN ad hoc working group to discuss the proposal at its next meeting in New York on 19 August, echoing the “Appel de Paris pour la haute mer” launched in April 2013 by the French government, which aims to have the high seas considered and managed as something that belongs to the whole of humankind. (LM/transl.jl)