Signing of High Seas Treaty would affirm Ukraine's commitment to EU integration – MP
Ukraine should ratify the High Seas Treaty without delay, said MP Yulia Ovchynnikova, Chair of the Subcommittee on Forest Resources, Wildlife, Natural Landscapes and Nature Reserve Sites of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Environmental Policy and Nature Management.
"This agreement aligns with the goals of European integration. As we know, accession talks are ongoing, and our legislation is gradually adapting. We hope that the 27th chapter of the negotiation process will open in June so we can move forward more actively," she said at a press conference on Wednesday.
Ovchynnikova emphasized that one of the key advantages of ratification is that it gives Ukraine access to the international arena to highlight national concerns, especially the devastating impact of war. She also noted that Ukraine has already signed and ratified two agreements under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.
"We are making consistent progress in confirming our intentions and international direction. Importantly, the first agreement concerned the implementation of Part XI. The second addressed the conservation of straddling and highly migratory fish stocks. Signing and ratifying the High Seas Treaty would be a logical next step, as it would be the third implementing agreement under the Convention," she explained.
Ovchynnikova also noted that Russia opposes the treaty's ratification.
"The terrorist, occupying state does not support the agreement and deems it unacceptable... So we hope to act quickly and ratify it soon," she added.
According to her, Ukraine faces no significant economic risks from the treaty, as it does not affect strategic fishing areas or limit access to high seas genetic resources. On the contrary, it opens new opportunities for Ukrainian scientists.
Marine biologist Sofia Sadogurska, a climate expert with NGO Ecoaction, emphasized that the treaty directly concerns Ukraine.
"As mentioned repeatedly today, Ukraine does not have direct access to oceans. However, existing international agreements define the high seas as shared spaces under joint use by all states. This means Ukraine has the same rights to access these resources – and the same obligations to protect biodiversity – as any other country. The argument that Ukraine lacks access does not hold, because the high seas matter to Ukraine just as much as to any other nation," she explained.
In 1982, the UN adopted the Convention on the Law of the Sea. Ukraine has already ratified two implementing agreements: the 1999 Agreement on the Implementation of Part XI and the 2002 Agreement on the conservation of straddling and highly migratory fish stocks. In 2023, the UN adopted the High Seas Treaty on marine biodiversity beyond national jurisdiction to preserve and sustainably use ocean resources.
