EU Presidency Statement - Law of the Sea

Mr Co-chairman,

I have the honour to speak on behalf of the European Union. The Central and Eastern European countries associated with the European Union Bulgaria, Estonia, Hungary, Lithuania, Poland, Slovenia and the associated countries Cyprus and Malta align themselves with this statement.

I would like to congratulate you on your reappointment as Co-chairmen of the oceans consultative process. The EU, which highly appreciated your chairmanship at last year's session of this process, is looking forward to assisting you in fulfilling your challenging mandate at this session as well.

Last year's discussions at the first session of the oceans consultative process proved most fruitful. The European Union reiterates its support for this process and fully endorses the recommendations contained in its final report. It was a useful format to include participation of the most competent international agencies and organisations and of representatives of civil society. The EU is committed to contributing to a successful second session of the oceans consultative process.

The EU welcomes the organisation of discussions at this session on marine science and the development and transfer of marine technology, including capacity-building and of co-ordination and co-operation in combating piracy and armed robbery at sea, as recommended by the General Assembly resolution 55/7 on oceans and the law of the sea.

The UN Convention on the Law of the Sea provides the fundamental legal framework for all uses of the oceans. The EU also recognises the importance of Chapter 17 of Agenda 21, which sets out the fundamental programmes of action for achieving sustainable development of the oceans and seas.

The European Union urges all states that are not already parties to UNCLOS, to consider seriously ratifying or acceding to the Convention. It is of great importance that the UNCLOS regime is truly universal, in order to effectively address problems in ocean affairs of a global character. It is likewise important to enact national legislation in order to implement the UNCLOS legal framework. Simultaneously, there is a need to identify and remove obstacles to wider ratification and implementation of UNCLOS and other international agreements on ocean affairs.

Strengthening co-ordination at all levels in matters related to the oceans and seas is the overarching purpose of the oceans consultative process. Co-operation and co-ordination at the international and regional levels in implementing the UNCLOS and Agenda 21 is necessary in order to utilise and preserve marine resources for the benefit of all states.

It is in the interest of all that the knowledge acquired in the field of marine environment and sustainable use of the oceans and seas is developed and shared. This clearly requires more emphasis on marine science, together with the technology for pursuing it, as well as the support of governments and civil society. Science, however, cannot operate in isolation. Marine science will, therefore, have to become more holistic, more interdisciplinary, more international, and more oriented to societal needs.

The EU underlines the need to improve promotion of the understanding of the marine scientific research and of using that knowledge for sound decision-making. Further co-operation and co-ordination is necessary and the EU attaches great importance to such activities on intergovernmental and interagency levels. At the same time, the EU underlines the importance of avoiding the creation of new institutions.

The EU has successfully pioneered during the past two decades a Programme for Scientific and Technological Co-operation with Developing Countries based on open dialogue and benchmarking. We feel that the experience obtained in research on the oceans and seas by the "Research for Development" Programme of the EU (INCO-DEV) is a good model for future expansion.

Mr. Co-chairman,

The report of the Secretary-General draws attention to many areas in which marine science and marine technology are fundamental for taking sound decisions. The EU would welcome concentration on the most important themes and underlines the need for a focused debate in the upcoming panel discussions.

States have now decided to bring up the matter of combating piracy and armed robbery at sea in the oceans consultative process. The EU member states recognise the importance of the fact that the matter is brought up within the context of this process and welcome the inclusion on the agenda of piracy and armed robbery against ships. It is logical to discuss the matter in this context, not least since the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea provides for the rights and duties of all states in respect of acts of piracy.

The EU considers the report of the Secretary-General to be essential as background for further discussions in this context and the UN General Assembly to be the proper forum for such discussions. The European Union thanks the Secretary-General for his report on Oceans and the Law of the Sea and notes with appreciation the extensive and comprehensive ambition of the report. The preparation of the report by the Secretary-General is of central importance for the oceans consultative process. We are glad that it contains information on developments in the fields covered by last year's meeting of this process, and in particular look forward to hearing from FAO and UNEP about recent developments on fisheries and land-based activities.

The European Union appreciates the Secretary-General's account of recent developments in ocean affairs in general and notes the collection of information regarding internal legislative measures undertaken by states parties in implementing the UNCLOS. The EU welcomes the Secretary-General's idea that an analysis of the information received appears in next year's report on the Law of the Sea, as an overall assessment of the implementation of UNCLOS, almost 20 years after its adoption.

Capacity-building is necessary in order to achieve our common goals of preservation and sustainable use of the oceans and seas, and goes together with appropriate transfer of technology. Co-operation between developing and developed countries is essential in this regard. The EU believes that capacity-building should be strengthened within the existing institutions on global, regional and national levels. The valuable efforts that are already being undertaken, in the UN system and in the regional context alike, should continue to be supported.

The EU appreciates the efforts made to improve further the Secretary-General's annual report and in particular the inclusion of a section on capacity-building in accordance with suggestion at last year's process. The detailed description of ongoing capacity-building activities within the United Nations system gives a good overview of what measures that are currently undertaken in these fields. Although the European Union agrees with the needs identified by the Secretary-General with regard to capacity-building, it would have appreciated further analysis on the gaps and overlaps that exist in the activities that are already being undertaken.

Mr. Co-chairman,

The report of the Secretary-General states that there is a lack of co-ordination and co-operation in addressing ocean issues. Such insufficient co-ordination and co-operation has prevented the emergence of more efficient and result-oriented ocean governance. There is a need for cross-sectoral response at all levels, starting at the national level. The EU, therefore, supports the co-ordination efforts undertaken within the UN system and, at the same time, encourages the Secretary-General to take further measures aimed at ensuring more effective collaboration and co-ordination between the relevant parts of the UN Secretariat and the UN system as a whole on ocean affairs and the law of the sea.

In this spirit, aware of the gravity of the unsustainable use of ocean ecosystems reflected by the overexploitation of living resources, coastal and marine pollution, and the disruption of marine habitats, the EU reiterates its support for General Assembly resolution 54/33, by which the oceans consultative process was created, giving the protection of oceans and seas a clear political profile.

Thank you, Mr. Co-chairman.

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• EU Presidency Statement - Law of the Sea (9/4/2002)