On Wednesday, the European Union and six of its Member States ratified the United Nations (UN) treaty to protect the high seas. Belgium is among the list of countries yet to ratify the agreement.
The treaty, also known as the Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ) agreement, was adopted by the UN member states in June 2023.
The EU, along with Cyprus, Finland, Hungary, Latvia, Portugal, and Slovenia, have ratified the treaty. This is "a historic step towards preserving the world’s oceans and maintaining the delicate balance of planetary ecosystems," according to the European Commissioner for Fisheries and Oceans, Costas Kadis.
Although some countries have moved forward, Belgium has yet to ratify the agreement. Earlier this year, France and Spain completed the necessary steps for ratification. Currently, there have been 29 ratifications, a number still far short of the 60 required for the treaty to come into effect.
The High Seas Alliance, an umbrella organisation of around fifty NGOs, welcomed the "important step" but stressed that "greater political pressure is needed."
Both France and the NGOs had hoped the treaty would take effect before the UN Ocean Conference, which is set to begin in early June in Nice, France.
Negotiations that lasted for years culminated in an agreement in March 2023. The treaty aims to designate at least 30% of the world’s oceans as protected areas in the future.
Additionally, it requires the implementation of procedures to evaluate the environmental impact of economic projects, expeditions, and other activities in the oceans. The High Seas treaty further seeks to place the biodiversity of international waters under binding international protection.
