The oceans: state of the marine environment and new trends in international law of the sea

Recommendation 1388 (1998)

Author(s):

Parliamentary Assembly

Origin

Assembly debate on 24 September 1998 (31st Sitting) (see Doc. 8177, report of the Committee on the Environment, Regional Planning and Local Authorities, rapporteur: Mrs Blunck). Text adopted by the Assembly on 24 September 1998 (31st Sitting).

Thesaurus

1. The Assembly recalls its Resolution 1169 (1998) on the oceans: state of the marine environment and new trends in international law of the sea, its Recommendation 1079 (1988) on the protection of the North Sea against pollution and its Recommendation 847 (1978) on European action to prevent oil pollution of waters and coasts.

2. It is convinced that there is room for further synergy between science and technology on the one hand, and political decision-making on the other, with a view to improving the protection of the marine environment.

3. The Assembly recommends that the Committee of Ministers :

3.1 open the draft European convention on the protection of the environment through criminal law for signature and ratification by the Organisation’s member countries, while recalling that the Assembly has unanimously supported this initiative in the past;

3.2 call upon the Council of Europe’s member states to sign and ratify the Convention on Civil Liability for Damage resulting from Activities Dangerous to the Environment;

3.3 call upon the Council of Europe’s member states to sign and ratify the Convention on Civil Liability for Damage resulting from Activities Dangerous to the Environment;

3.4 consider setting up a European maritime agency - in co-operation with the European Union and, where appropriate, other international organisations - to promote a coherent vision of European maritime policy, especially as regards the development of an integrated approach to coastal area management;

3.5 propose to member state governments a timetable of priority measures, inter alia:

a support, at the forthcoming Buenos Aires conference on climate change (2-13 November 1998), for the creation of an ecological league for the protection of the oceans with provision for non-governmental organisations, a precautionary approach, and clear, binding quality objectives;

b the pooling, within the framework of a single world organisation, of all international efforts in the field of environment and development;

c the introduction of uniform measurement programmes giving comparable results;

d the establishment of an international monitoring system ensuring cost-free access to information on the Internet at all times and also at the local level;

e the presentation of a report on the state of implementation of present environmental protection agreements, their supervision, and their validity;

f the progressive elimination of development programmes conflicting with the aims of marine conservation in the fields of shipbuilding, fisheries, agriculture and business, or definition of standards to be met by such programmes; information and aid to developing countries should be provided when necessary to achieve this purpose;

g the enforcement of the right to consumer information on set environmental protection standards.