Today, the European Commission is presenting a proposal to integrate the landmark international Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction' (BBNJ) Agreement, which aims to protect the ocean, tackle environmental degradation, fight climate change, and curb biodiversity loss, into EU law. This will also help the Member States with the implementation in their national systems.
Signed by the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, on behalf of the European Union in September 2023, this Agreement – also known as the Treaty of the High Seas – will help reach the goals and targets set under the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework. This includes protecting at least 30% of the ocean by 2030 and increasing benefit sharing from genetic resources and digital sequence information.
While EU law is already largely aligned with significant parts of the BBNJ, the proposed directive will help Member States implement all parts of the Agreement. The directive focuses on the following provisions of the BBNJ Agreement, while keeping the regulatory burden to a minimum:
- Large-scale marine protected areas will be established in international waters to conserve marine life.
- Before approving activities in international waters, Member States will need to evaluate their potential impact on the marine environment (through Environmental impact assessments). This evaluation process should ensure transparency, accountability, broad public participation and fair conditions for all parties involved, and avoid undue burden.
- EU researchers, particularly those collaborating across borders on marine genetic resources, will be assisted by facilitating the sharing of genetic resources. This will ensure fair distribution of benefits from marine genetic resources and digital sequence information, in line with the COP16 Cali Fund.
Today's proposed directive will promote good governance and ocean sustainability, in line with the upcoming European Ocean Pact.
