EU and six member states take ‘historic step’ by ratifying UN treaty to protect the high seas

Published connected 29/05/2025 - 14:46 GMT+2•Updated 14:58

The European Union and six of its personnel states formally ratified nan United Nations pact to protect nan precocious seas connected Wednesday successful New York.

This world statement is seen arsenic a captious opportunity to safeguard parts of nan water that dishonesty beyond nationalist maritime borders. The latest activity of ratifications comes up of nan landmark UN Ocean Conference, scheduled to return spot successful Nice, France, successful early June.

EU Commissioner for Fisheries and Oceans, Costas Kadis, described nan move arsenic a “historic measurement towards protecting nan world’s oceans and preserving nan delicate equilibrium of our planet’s ecosystem.”

Ratification intends that nan EU and nan six individual personnel states person formally agreed to nan pact becoming binding international law. This often involves aligning nationalist authorities pinch what nan pact outlines.

In April, nan European Commission presented a connection for a directive that would transpose nan High Seas Treaty into European law.

What is nan High Seas Treaty?

The High Seas Treaty has nan imaginable to bring astir a important displacement successful world water conservation efforts.

Areas beyond nationalist jurisdiction -including nan precocious seas and seabed -cover astir two-thirds of nan world’s oceans. These regions look expanding threats from pollution, overexploitation, ambiance change, and biodiversity loss.

Currently, only astir 1 per cent of nan precocious seas is protected.

Following years of negotiations, a world statement connected nan request to protect nan precocious seas was reached successful March 2023. The matter of nan pact was formally adopted successful June 2023 astatine nan UN office successful New York.

The statement paves nan measurement for protecting marine life successful areas extracurricular of nationalist maritime boundaries. It allows for nan creation of marine protected areas and supports nan world extremity of safeguarding astatine slightest 30 per cent of nan world’s oceans by 2030.

What is needed for nan High Seas Treaty to go world law?

Classified arsenic a “mixed agreement,” nan pact needs to beryllium ratified by some nan EU and its individual personnel states separately.

On Wednesday, Cyprus, Finland, Hungary, Latvia, Portugal, and Slovenia joined nan EU successful submitting their ratification. France and Spain had already ratified nan pact earlier this year.

To travel into force, nan pact requires ratification by 60 parties. With these latest additions, nan number of ratifications has reached 28. A full of 115 countries person signed nan treaty, indicating their imaginable committedness to ratification.

The EU is urging each remaining parties to ratify nan statement without delay, successful nan dream of securing nan 60 ratifications required for it to participate into unit by nan clip of nan UN Ocean Conference successful Nice.

Nathalie Rey, European Regional Coordinator for nan High Seas Alliance, described nan EU’s action arsenic a “powerful acceleration” toward gathering nan ratification period conscionable days earlier nan summit.

“EU activity is basal successful confronting nan biodiversity and ambiance crises. This bold move sends a clear connection that water protection is not optional - it’s a world priority,” she said.