High Seas Alliance celebrates major step forward in race for ratification as 6 EU Member States and the EU formally ratify High Seas Treaty at UN. The High Seas Alliance congratulates the European Union (EU) and 6 EU Member States that have deposited their instruments of ratification at the United Nations headquarters in New York today. This coordinated move brings the official number of High Seas Treaty ratifications to 28.
The countries- Cyprus, Finland, Hungary, Latvia, Portugal and Slovenia- now join Spain and France who ratified earlier in February 2025. These EU Member States represent a significant step towards the 60 ratifications needed for the Treaty to enter into force and become binding international law. While the EU, as a regional economic integration organisation, has also deposited its ratification it does not count separately toward the official tally.
“This boost in ratifications by the EU and its Member States is a powerful acceleration toward the Treaty’s entry into force- just days before a major international ocean conference in Nice, France,” said Nathalie Rey, European Regional Coordinator for High Seas Alliance.
“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. We urge the remaining EU countries and others to swiftly follow suit”.
The EU, along with many government and civil society organisations, have committed to securing the necessary 60 ratifications by the 3rd UN Ocean Conference in June 2025. To date, along with the 28 ratifications, 115 countries have signed the Treaty, demonstrating their commitment to ratification. The remaining EU countries are expected to ratify in the coming months, ideally ahead of the first Conference of Parties that will happen within a year of the Treaty’s entry into force.
Covering nearly half the planet, international waters- also known as the High Seas- are woefully under-protected, with only 1.5% currently safeguarded within marine protected areas. The High Seas Treaty– formally titled the Agreement under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea on the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Marine Biological Diversity of Areas beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ Agreement)- was adopted in June 2023 and marks a historic milestone in global ocean governance.
The Treaty paves the way for establishing High Seas marine protected areas, assessing the impact of potential harmful activities, advancing ocean equity by ensuring greater support for developing countries through capacity building, access to tools and technology and sharing the benefits from marine genetic resources.
“This new global Ocean Treaty is a rare and vital opportunity—a ray of light in this fractured world,” said Rebecca Hubbard, Director of the High Seas Alliance. “A healthy ocean underpins a stable future for all of us. We must embed ocean action into every diplomatic agenda, because no country can solve this environmental crisis alone. We need to up the political pressure to reach 60 ratifications- and after that keep building momentum to get as many countries onboard to give this Treaty real power.”
A special High Seas Treaty event has been scheduled for 9 June 2025 during the UN Ocean Conference, where additional countries are expected to deposit their instruments of ratification.
Photo by Milos Prelevic on Unsplash