Council Decision (EU) 2016/455 of 22 March 2016 authorising the opening of negotiations on behalf of the European Union on the elements of a draft text of an international legally binding instrument under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea on the conservation and sustainable use of marine biodiversity of areas beyond national jurisdiction
The Commission is hereby authorised to negotiate, on behalf of the Union, as regards matters falling within the Union's competence and in respect of which the Union has adopted rules, on the elements of a draft text of an international legally binding instrument under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea on the conservation and sustainable use of marine biodiversity of areas beyond national jurisdiction at meetings of the UN Preparatory Committee established under UN General Assembly Resolution 69/292.
The Commission shall conduct the negotiations on behalf of the Union, as regards matters falling within the Union's competence and in respect of which the Union has adopted rules, in line with the Negotiating Directives set out in the Addendum to this Decision. The Negotiating Directives cannot be read as affecting in any way the respective competences of the Union and the Member States.
The Commission shall conduct these negotiations in consultation with a special committee that is hereby established. The special committee is the Law of the Sea Working Party (COMAR).
To the extent that the subject matter of the negotiations falls within the competences of both the Union and its Member States, the Commission and the Member States should cooperate closely during the negotiating process, with a view to ensuring unity in the international representation of the Union and its Member States.
This Decision is addressed to the Commission.
Source: EUR-Lex (Publications Office of the EU), © European Union, reuse permitted under Commission Decision 2011/833/EU.
