The international community must continue to work together towards the sustainable use of oceans, to promote sustainable development, and to face up to the major threats confronting our marine environment.
The EU and its Member States continue to believe that the UNCLOS represents the constitution of the oceans and establishes the overarching legal framework within which all activities in oceans and seas must be carried out. The EU also strongly supports the UN Fish Stocks Agreement which develops the principle of cooperation to ensure the conservation and sustainable use of highly migratory and straddling fish stocks alongside the work of Regional Fisheries Management Organisations.
