Conservation and sustainable use of marine biological diversity of areas beyond national jurisdiction – ratification of BBNJ Agreement

Key points

The EESC:

• welcomes the proposal for a Directive to integrate the international agreement on marine biological diversity of areas beyond national jurisdiction (BBNJ) into EU law;
• supports the European Commission’s position on the strict transposition of the BBNJ Agreement into the EU acquis, maintaining uniform implementation and a level playing field for all actors operating out of EU territory;
• recommends ensuring that the BBNJ Agreement is fully consistent with the European framework and environmental assessments, as well as with multilateral environmental agreements to which the European Union and its Member States are parties, thereby ensuring the harmonisation and effectiveness of environmental policies at European and international level;
• agrees with the European Commission that the transposition of the BBNJ Agreement into EU law should be aligned with EU sectoral rules and policies;
• recommends that the new BBNJ framework act in a coordinated and complementary manner vis-à-vis existing international bodies, such as regional fisheries management organisations (RFMOs), the FAO and the International Maritime Organisation;
• in line with the new Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, calls for efforts to ensure that, by 2030, at least 30% of waters in the high seas are conserved and managed effectively through systems of protected areas that are ecologically representative, well connected and equitably governed, as well as through other effective, area-based conservation measures;
• highlights that many RFMOs already implement spatial management measures, including for marine protected areas, and have started to identify other effective area-based conservation measures (OECMs);
• stresses the importance of effective coordination between the different institutions involved in implementing the BBNJ Agreement.