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Free Malaysia Today
09-06-2025
- Politics
- Free Malaysia Today
EU and 6 member states ratify UN treaty on high seas
The landmark treaty aims to protect marine ecosystems threatened by multiple forms of pollution in international waters. (EPA Images pic) NEW YORK : The EU and six of its member states ratified the treaty to protect the high seas today, bringing it closer but still far short of the number needed for it to come into force. Ratification of the treaty's text – first adopted in June 2023 after years of negotiations – was a 'historic step towards protecting the world's oceans and preserving the delicate balance of our planet's ecosystem', said Costas Kadis, the EU oceans commissioner. He called on all countries to follow suit. Cyprus, Finland, Hungary, Latvia, Portugal and Slovenia along with the EU submitted their instruments of ratification to the UN, the European mission to the UN said in a statement. France and Spain had already done so earlier this year. That brings the number of ratifications to 29 – still far short of the 60 required for the treaty to enter into force. The NGO coalition High Seas Alliance hailed the ratifications as a 'major step forward.' But treaty supporters 'need to up the political pressure to reach 60 ratifications,' director Rebecca Hubbard said in a statement. France is hosting a UN conference on the oceans June 9-13 in Nice, and its 'number one' priority is to obtain the ratifications needed, Jerome Bonnafont, the French ambassador to the UN, said this week. A ceremony is scheduled for June 9 in Nice in a bid to approach that threshold. The landmark treaty aims to protect marine ecosystems vital to humanity, threatened by multiple forms of pollution, in international waters covering almost half the planet. In particular, it provides for the creation of marine protected areas where certain activities could be restricted. This could include fishing or mining, which also depend on other international organizations.
Euronews
06-06-2025
- Politics
- Euronews
EU unveils Ocean Pact ahead of UN conference in France
The European Commission presented a plan aimed at better protecting oceans on Thursday, ahead of the UN Oceans Conference (UNOC) in Nice, France, next week. It says the European Ocean Pact is a 'comprehensive' roadmap to protect the ocean, promote a blue economy and support the well-being of people living in coastal areas. The pact brings together EU ocean policies under one single framework to address threats facing the bloc's oceans. It lays out several key priorities, including protecting and restoring ocean health, boosting the EU's blue economy, supporting coastal and island communities, advancing ocean research, enhancing maritime security and defence, and strengthening ocean diplomacy. 'It will not only benefit the planet, but also the people who call the coast their home, and the generations who will steward our oceans tomorrow,' European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said. Commissioner for Fisheries and Oceans, Costas Kadis, added that it wasn't just a 'message in a bottle' but a concrete plan for action. "It also offers immense potential for more investments in a sustainable blue economy, and it is key for our security," he added. Headline pledges include proposing a new European law on the oceans by 2027 and revising two maritime directives to better protect biodiversity. But environmental NGOs aren't so sure. While the pact shows 'tentative steps' in the right direction, they say there are 'critical gaps' which must be addressed. They consider it a missed opportunity for the EU to show leadership at the UNOC, where it will present the Pact next week. In a joint statement, a group of six leading environmental NGOs said the Pact falls short of delivering the urgent action and binding targets that are needed to protect oceans. BirdLife Europe, ClientEarth, Oceana, Seas At Risk, Surfrider Foundation Europe, and the WWF European Policy Office welcomed the announcement but warned that to be successful, it must lead to the immediate implementation of existing obligations and include legally binding targets. Vera Coelho, deputy vice-president of Oceana in Europe, said it was a 'missed opportunity' for the EU to show leadership at the upcoming UNOC. 'It proposes to continue the same failed, case-by-case approach that has enabled destructive practices like bottom trawling to continue for decades inside the EU's so-called 'protected' areas,' Coelho explains. 'It opens the door to revising key pieces of EU law, such as the Common Fisheries Policy, rather than proposing an implementation and enforcement strategy to address the real root of the ocean's multiple crises: lack of political will by member states to meet agreed targets and implement EU law. 'By deferring real action, this lacklustre Pact puts at risk the future of Europe's seas and of the people who rely on them.' The NGOs are urging EU institutions and member states to strengthen the pact with concrete measures and ensure that ocean protection becomes central to ocean-related EU laws. 'While the Commission promises in the Ocean Pact to work on enforcement, it falls short, offering no concrete plan for how ocean laws, which exist on paper, will actually be implemented at sea,' adds Juliet Stote, law and policy advisor on marine ecosystems at ClientEarth. 'Currently, EU laws are continuously breached - with destructive activities such as bottom trawling routinely taking place in Marine Protected Areas, and overfishing continuing in EU waters - this must stop.' Paris's Seine could be the next river granted legal personhood under plans announced by Mayor Anne Hidalgo yesterday. Paris City Council has called on Parliament to pass a law giving the River Seine rights, so that "an independent guardian authority' can defend it in court, according to yesterday's resolution. It follows a swell of similar 'rights for nature' breakthroughs since New Zealand first recognised the Whanganui River as a living entity in 2017. And is another step forward in Paris's bid to protect the Seine from pollution. 'From the reclamation of the banks in 2016 to the historic swimming in the Seine during the Paris Games, to the improvement of water quality, we have never stopped acting to restore our river to its rightful place!' Hidalgo wrote in a LinkedIn post yesterday. The foundations of the plan were laid by a citizens' convention on the future of the Seine, which concluded last month. 50 citizens chosen at random questioned experts and took part in weeks of debate in order to reach a collective opinion. They concluded that the Seine should have fundamental rights, including 'the right to exist, to flow and to regenerate.' On the basis of this opinion, the City of Paris is tabling a bill in Parliament to give the Seine the rights to be properly protected. Une publication partagée par Anne Hidalgo (@annehidalgo) 'Recognising rights to the oceans, rivers or the Seine is neither a symbolic gesture nor a legal fantasy: it is a political response to the ecological emergency. It is urgent to act!' Hidalgo added. The Seine must be considered an ecosystem that "no one can claim ownership of", where the preservation of life takes "precedence over everything", according to the convention. Paris has been on a major cleanup mission on the Seine's behalf in recent years, spending €1.4 billion on its recovery. That includes investments like building a giant underground tub to store wastewater so that it doesn't run into the river. It received a boost in the run-up to the Olympics last year, as French authorities sought to get the river clean enough to host water sports events. After much speculation, failed E. coli tests, and one Mayoral swim, some Olympic events were able to go ahead. But a plan to open the Seine for public swimming last summer was delayed until this year. Now, authorities say it will be opened up at three points from 5 July. Despite ongoing issues from pollution, rising water temperatures, and pesticide runoff, the Seine has been getting markedly healthier. As the citizens' convention noted, the river is now home to around 40 species of fish - up from just four in 1970. Opening the river up to the public this summer could present "additional risks", it warned, and so will need to be carefully managed. Communities around the world have campaigned for fragile ecosystems like rivers and mountains to be afforded legal rights in order to better protect them. The legislation protecting the Whanganui River combines Western legal precedent with Indigenous beliefs, as Maori people have long considered it a living entity. In 2022, Spain granted personhood status to Europe's biggest saltwater lagoon, the Mar Menor, marking the first time a European ecosystem gained the right to the conservation of its species and habitats, and protection from harmful activities such as intensive agriculture. Last year, an Ecuadorian court ruled that pollution had violated the rights of the Machángara River, which runs through Quito. It enforced an article of Ecuador's Constitution that recognises the rights of nature. Hidalgo wants to see the Seine join this privileged company. 'Paris is committed to putting the Seine back in its rightful place, in the heart of our city and as close as possible to its inhabitants,' she wrote. 'A new adventure begins!'
Euronews
29-05-2025
- Politics
- Euronews
High Seas Treaty gets major boost from EU and 6 member states
The European Union and six of its member states formally ratified the United Nations treaty to protect the high seas on Wednesday in New York. This international agreement is seen as a critical opportunity to safeguard parts of the ocean that lie beyond national maritime borders. The latest wave of ratifications comes ahead of the landmark UN Ocean Conference, scheduled to take place in Nice, France, in early June. EU Commissioner for Fisheries and Oceans, Costas Kadis, described the move as a 'historic step towards protecting the world's oceans and preserving the delicate balance of our planet's ecosystem.' Ratification means that the EU and the six individual member states have formally agreed to the treaty becoming binding international law. This often involves aligning national legislation with what the treaty outlines. In April, the European Commission presented a proposal for a directive that would transpose the High Seas Treaty into European law. The High Seas Treaty has the potential to bring about a significant shift in global ocean conservation efforts. Areas beyond national jurisdiction -including the high seas and seabed -cover nearly two-thirds of the world's oceans. These regions face increasing threats from pollution, overexploitation, climate change, and biodiversity loss. Currently, only about 1 per cent of the high seas is protected. Following years of negotiations, a global consensus on the need to protect the high seas was reached in March 2023. The text of the treaty was formally adopted in June 2023 at the UN headquarters in New York. The agreement paves the way for protecting marine life in areas outside of national maritime boundaries. It allows for the creation of marine protected areas and supports the global goal of safeguarding at least 30 per cent of the world's oceans by 2030. Classified as a 'mixed agreement,' the treaty needs to be ratified by both the EU and its individual member states separately. On Wednesday, Cyprus, Finland, Hungary, Latvia, Portugal, and Slovenia joined the EU in submitting their ratification. France and Spain had already ratified the treaty earlier this year. To come into force, the treaty requires ratification by 60 parties. With these latest additions, the number of ratifications has reached 29. A total of 115 countries have signed the treaty, indicating their potential commitment to ratification. The EU is urging all remaining parties to ratify the agreement without delay, in the hope of securing the 60 ratifications required for it to enter into force by the time of the UN Ocean Conference in Nice. Nathalie Rey, European Regional Coordinator for the High Seas Alliance, described the EU's action as a 'powerful acceleration' toward meeting the ratification threshold just days before the summit. 'EU leadership is essential in confronting the biodiversity and climate crises. This bold move sends a clear message that ocean protection is not optional - it's a global priority,' she said.
Irish Examiner
21-05-2025
- Business
- Irish Examiner
Experts from over 40 countries to attend European Maritime Day conference in Cork
The European Maritime Day conference, which kicks off today, will host experts from over 40 countries to discuss a range of topics – from maritime security to coastal tourism and marine pollution to ocean energy. An estimated 1,000 people will descend on Cork for the three-day event, with the conference workshops taking place in City Hall and adjoining venues. A free family-friendly festival will be held along the city quays on Friday and Saturday. People working in the maritime sector will be travelling from China, Canada, Japan, Africa, Denmark, Croatia, Cyprus, Greece, France, and Germany to the event. Taoiseach Micheál Martin is due to attend the conference, as will European Commissioner for Ocean and Fisheries, Costas Kadis, as well as Commissioner for Democracy, Justice, the Rule of Law and Consumer Protection Commissioner, Michael McGrath. Minister for Climate, Environment and Energy, Darragh O'Brien and Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Timmy Dooley are also scheduled to take part. The conference is organised by Cork City Council, the Government and the European Commission. Sisters Saoirse Healy (aged 8) and Caoimhe Healy (aged 10) at last month's launch of the free family-friendly maritime celebration, 'European Maritime Days to Play' which will be held this weekend in Cork to mark the city hosting Europe's premier maritime conference. Picture: Clare Keogh Cork City Council Chief Executive, Valerie O'Sullivan said: 'It is an honour for Cork City Council and the Government of Ireland to host European Maritime Day and to see the positive impact this conference is having on the city's hospitality and tourism sector. "The importance of the maritime sector to Cork and the national economy is significant. Up to 37% of Ireland's marine companies and 40% of our blue bio-economy and seafood industry are based in the south of the country.' She pointed out that the Naval Service is based at Haulbowline, the National Maritime College of Ireland, part of Munster Technological University, is located in Ringaskiddy and that the Port of Cork is one of Ireland's main commercial ports. 'From a tourism perspective, Cork Harbour is Ireland's top cruise destination with over 115,000 passengers visiting each year,' she added. It is estimated that more than €2m will be spent in Cork over the three days. The workshops attract a number of highly topical issues and leading speakers. The discussion on the EU's response to maritime security involves top French, Italian, and Greek naval and coast guard officers. A related workshop of protecting subsea infrastructure includes Camino Kavanagh, a visiting senior fellow of the Department of War Studies at King's College London and Lieutenant Commander Mike Brunicardi of the Irish Naval Service. The European Border and Coast Guard Agency (Frontex), the European Fisheries Control Agency (EFCA) and the European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA) will examine the EU Maritime Security Strategy. The Irish Maritime Area Regulatory Authority (MARA), located in Wexford, will discuss the 'complex' area of maritime regulation and EU directives and hold a workshop on improving co-operation between maritime practitioners, bodies and regulators. Read More Ireland to join intel-sharing alliance amid fears over threat to subsea cables
Irish Examiner
30-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Irish Examiner
Free family maritime festival to take over Cork's quays this May
A free maritime-themed family festival will take place along Cork's city quays next month as the city hosts a major European maritime conference. The two-day European Maritime Days to Play festival, featuring tours of naval and research vessels, street performances, cooking demos, and live music along Albert Quay and Kennedy Quay, will coincide with the European Maritime Day conference, which runs from May 21 to 23, hosted by Cork City Council and the Government. The conference will bring up to 1,000 maritime professionals together from across Europe to network, discuss and outline a range of proposed joint actions on maritime affairs, including fisheries and maritime security, to exploring the potential of the sustainable blue economy, including off-shore renewables. The conference, which will be attended by Taoiseach Micheál Martin, European fisheries commissioner Costas Kadis, and MEP Michael McGrath, will take place at City Hall and other nearby sites from May 21 to 23. But the free maritime festival for the public will spill out onto the quays on the Friday and Saturday, May 23 and 24, to engage the city. Saoirse Healy at the launch of the festival. It will involve input from the city council, the Marine Institute, Bord Iascaigh Mhara (BIM), the Irish Naval Service and Commissioners of Irish Lights. The programme of events includes cooking demos by rising stars of the Irish culinary world, with a focus on seafood, interactive science exhibitions, as well as opportunities to explore an aquaculture classroom on wheels and to tour some of the country's naval, research, patrol and buoy laying vessels. BIM's Taste the Atlantic: Seafood Experience event showcasing the Atlantic coastline's sustainable seafood will be on the quays, hosting cooking demos by BIM Taste the Atlantic Young Chef ambassadors. The Marine Institute's science exhibition will include a series of interactive displays and exhibits exploring the marine world, from the rocky seashore to the deep sea. The Commissioners of Irish Lights, the marine regulator Mara, and the RNLI will also have stands, and there will be an exhibition on the history of Irish lighthouses from 1786. The programme will also feature creative activities, from street performances to live music and children's entertainment, with the army band, Evelyn Kelly and the Cork Pops Orchestra, and various circus acts among the performers. The European Fisheries Control Agency's patrol vessel, the Naval Service's LÉ Aoibhinn, the Marine Institute's RV Tom Crean and the Commissioners of Irish Lights' ILV Granuaile will be open to the public on the Saturday for tours. The event is being funded by the Department of Environment, Cork City Council, the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland, EirGrid, the marine environment section of the Department of Heritage, and Mara. Lord Mayor, Cllr Dan Boyle, said the city was honoured to host European Maritime Day conference. 'To celebrate this event and Cork's rich maritime heritage, people of all ages can enjoy the free and fun 'European Maritime Days to Play', which will increase understanding around how our river, harbour, seas and oceans enrich our lives," he said. Council chief executive Valerie O'Sullivan said the city was delighted to be working with Government to welcome some of Europe's leading maritime experts to Leeside. 'As we know, the marine sector, bioeconomy, seafood industry and maritime commercial companies play a key role in the Cork economy, providing quality jobs to our highly educated workforce and coastal communities, while marine tourism is thriving along the Wild Atlantic Way and Ireland's Ancient East,' she said. The festival also marks the annual return of the Cork Harbour Festival, which runs from May 24 to June 2, with more than 80 events being staged at a dozen locations across the city and county. Read More Cork Airport to welcome 62,500 passengers this May bank holiday weekend
