12/10/2023 (Agence Europe) – On Thursday 12 October, the European Commission launched the ratification procedure for the Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction Treaty (BBNJ), also known as the ‘Treaty of the High Seas’ (see EUROPE 13255/7). The Commissioner for Environment, Oceans and Fisheries, Virginijus Sinkevičius, said that “it is urgent that the EU ratifies the treaty as soon as possible, and with this proposal we are taking the first step. I invite the international community to do the same”. To conclude ratification by the EU, the Council of the EU must approve the proposal (https://aeur.eu/f/90r ) by a qualified majority after consulting the European Parliament. Each Member State also undertakes to ratify it at national level. The EU and its Member States are committed to ratifying the treaty before the next United Nations Ocean Conference (June 2025). (LC)