The EU takes a key step to protect the ocean with the proposal to integrate the High Seas Treaty into its legislation.
Brussels, April 24 (EFEverde).- The European Commission has presented a proposal to integrate the "historic" International Agreement on Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction, known as the High Seas Treaty, into European Union legislation.
"Following the fruitful negotiations on biodiversity at COP16, we are taking concrete steps to meet our international commitments. Our ocean needs protection, and today we demonstrate that this can be done in a simple, coherent, and straightforward way," said European Environment Commissioner Jessika Roswall in a statement.
The treaty's goal is to protect the oceans, halt environmental degradation, combat climate change, and halt biodiversity loss in line with the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework.
These goals include protecting at least 30% of the ocean by 2030 and increasing benefit-sharing from genetic resources and digital sequence information.
EU legislation is already "largely aligned with many provisions" of that agreement, and the directive proposed by the Executive Branch "will make it easier for Member States to fully implement the agreement."
European proposal on the High Seas TreatyRémi Parmentier: "There is only one ocean, the one that unites us and gives us life."
Specifically, the Commission proposes establishing large-scale marine protected areas in international waters to conserve marine life, as areas beyond national jurisdiction cover almost two-thirds of the global ocean, including the high seas and the seabed.
Before approving activities in international waters, Member States must assess their potential impact on the marine environment in a transparent and accountable manner, in addition to "broad public participation, a level playing field for all parties involved, and the avoidance of unnecessary burdens," the Commission stated.
The Executive also aims to provide "support to EU researchers, particularly those collaborating cross-border on marine genetic resources, by facilitating access and fair sharing of the benefits derived from these resources and the associated digital information, in line with the Cali Fund agreed upon at COP16."
The proposed directive, which will have to be negotiated with the EU Council (which represents the member states) and the European Parliament, will also "simplify and harmonize administrative procedures and ensure a level playing field within the EU."
The legislative revision should enter into force before the agreement itself, which will become operational 120 days after 60 of the 89 signatory countries have ratified it and submitted their instruments of ratification, the Commission noted.
"This historic agreement is ambitious, fair, and equitable, and represents a key milestone for the protection of our oceans," said European Commissioner for Fisheries and Oceans, Costas Kadis. EFEverde
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Only 7 countries have ratified the High Seas Treaty on Biodiversity
Spain is the first European country to ratify the Global Ocean Treaty
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