Considerations on COM(2023)236 - EU position in the Convention for the Protection of the Marine Environment of the North-East Atlantic on amending certain delineations and on the Evlanov Sea basin

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dossier COM(2023)236 - EU position in the Convention for the Protection of the Marine Environment of the North-East Atlantic on amending certain ...
document COM(2023)236
date June 20, 2023
 
(1) The Convention for the Protection of the Marine Environment of the North-East Atlantic3 (‘the Convention’), to which the Union is a Contracting Party, entered into force on 25 March 1998.

(2) Pursuant to Article 10(3) of the Convention, the Commission established by Article 10(1) of the Convention (“the OSPAR Commission”) may adopt Decisions and Recommendations in accordance with Article 13 of the Convention.

(3) The OSPAR Commission, during the ministerial segment of its 24th annual meeting on 1 October 2021, adopted OSPAR Decision 2021/01 on the establishment of the North Atlantic Current and Evlanov Sea basin Marine Protected Area and Recommendation 2021/01 on its management4. At the same time, it was also decided that the conservation scope of the MPA would need to be reviewed, with a view to expanding it.

(4) This review was carried out and led to the OSPAR Commission envisaged Decision amending OSPAR Decision 2021/01 on the establishment and the envisaged Recommendation amending OSPAR Recommendation 2021/01 on the management of the North Atlantic Current and Evlanov Sea basin Marine Protected Area (‘NACES MPA’). The OSPAR Commission is to adopt this envisaged Decision and this envisaged Recommendation during its 26th regular session/meeting on 26 June 2023.

(5) The envisaged Decision of the OSPAR Commission extends the conservation scope of the existing NACES MPA and indicates the geographical coordinates (latitude/longitude) of its boundaries.


(6) The envisaged Recommendation of the OSPAR Commission aims to guide Contracting Parties in their actions and in the adoption of measures to achieve the revised conservation objectives, according to the extended conservation scope of the envisaged Decision, set out in the Annex to the Recommendation.

(7) There is a close link between the two envisaged OSPAR Commission acts and, it is therefore appropriate to cover them by the same position of the Union.

(8) It is appropriate to establish the position to be taken on the Union's behalf in the OSPAR Commission, as the Decision to be taken by the OSPAR Commission will be binding on the Union,