The next negotiating round on a new global legally-binding instrument to protect marine diversity in areas beyond national jurisdiction (BBNJ) under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) will take place in August 2019, ECSA said in its release.
In view of the forthcoming negotiations, ECSA organised a workshop on the subject on 18 June 2019, with the support of the International Chamber of Shipping (ICS) and hosted by the Permanent Representation of Malta to the EU.
Guests included representatives from Member States and from the European Commission’s Directorates-General for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries (DG MARE) and for Mobility and Transport (DG MOVE) that prepare the EU’s position ahead of the negotiations, as well as members of ECSA's Legal Advisory Committee.
The workshop touched on the shipping industry’s position, also outlined in the joint position paper by ECSA, the ICS and the ASA. It is also part of a series of outreach events being organised by the shipping industry and the IMO to draw attention to potential implications the outcomes could have on the future of maritime regulation, the authority of the IMO and fundamental principles such as the freedom of navigation.