The 27 member states of the European Union and 13 other countries have formed a coalition to conclude an ambitious treaty to protect the high seas, currently in negotiations, Emmanuel Macron and Ursula von der Leyen announced Friday February 11 during a summit in Brest.
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This coalition, initiated by the European Union and France, which holds the Presidency of the Council of the EU, "
calls for the adoption this year of an ambitious treaty for the preservation and sustainable use of marine biodiversity in areas beyond national jurisdictions
,” said the President of the European Commission.
“
We are very close but we have to give impetus to conclude it this year
”, she insisted.
The initiative is also supported by Australia, Canada, Chile, Comoros, India, Monaco, Morocco, Norway, Peru, Republic of Congo, Singapore, Switzerland and the United Kingdom.
It's about "
to conclude these exchanges and to move forward to finally have the tools to protect these international waters which are too often an area of ecological lawlessness
", underlined the French President.
The oceans are getting weaker
The high seas begin where the exclusive economic zones (EEZ) of the States end, at a maximum of 200 nautical miles (370 km) from the coasts and are therefore not under the jurisdiction of any State.
It represents more than 60% of the oceans and nearly half of the planet, but is often poorly understood.
However, the oceans are weakening, victims of these emissions (warming, acidification of the water, etc.), pollution of all kinds or overfishing.
A treaty on the high seas has been formally negotiated under the aegis of the UN since 2018, but discussions were interrupted by the Covid-19 epidemic.
The fourth and theoretically final negotiating session is scheduled for March in New York.
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The negotiations cover four areas: the creation of marine protected areas, marine genetic resources and the sharing of their benefits, the carrying out of environmental impact studies, as well as capacity building and technology transfer, particularly to developing countries, but sensitive points remain to be settled.
"
It's a positive step in the right direction
," said Liz Karan of the NGO Pew Charitable Trusts.
As talks resume in March, "
we hope the ambition expressed at the
'One Ocean' summit
will translate into concrete actions to protect humanity's last common good
," she added.