The High Seas Treaty — a global agreement on protecting biodiversity in international waters — will enter into force on 17 January 2026, with the EU welcoming the development as a "milestone for ocean conservation."
Formally known as the Agreement on Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ), it sets rules for areas of the ocean outside countries’ national waters and the seabed beyond national jurisdiction, the European Commission noted in a statement on Friday.
The treaty provides a framework for governing about half of the planet’s surface and 95% of the ocean’s volume.
It allows countries to establish marine protected areas in the high seas, regulate the use of marine genetic resources, require environmental impact assessments for human activities, and support developing countries through capacity-building and marine technology transfer programmes.
The agreement has been ratified by 81 parties, including the European Union and 16 of its member states, and signed by 145 countries.
EU preparations and funding
The treaty reached the threshold of 60 ratifications on 19 September 2025, triggering its entry into force 120 days later on 17 January 2026, the statement said.
Preparations are under way for the first Conference of the Parties — the meeting of countries that have joined the treaty — which is due to take place within a year of the agreement entering into force.
The EU has pledged support for implementation through the EU Global Ocean Programme, an EU-funded programme of €40 million launched at the third UN Ocean Conference in June.
The programme’s first phase is a €10 million on-demand technical assistance component that is already operational.
The EU is also contributing to initial work by the BBNJ Secretariat hosted by DOALOS, the UN Division for Ocean Affairs and the Law of the Sea.
