Conventions, agreements and other documents

Policies in the coastal and marine environment cannot be considered in isolation and independently, but in interaction, which means it must be linked to policies governing adaptation to climate change, biodiversity, tourism, energy, transport, security and the like.
 
At EU level, there is the WISE MARINE web information portal, created as a partnership between the European Commission (Directorate-General for the Environment, Joint Research Center, Eurostat) and the European Environment Agency - EEA. WISE MARINE is the main source of information on the marine environment and management policies in the EU aimed at protecting and safeguarding the marine environment. WISE MARINE offers various stakeholders data exchange and various visualization tools and viewers, which of course helps to facilitate policy-making and decision-making and the implementation of already adopted acts.
 
Copernicus is a European Union program, designed for satellite observation of the Earth, and Copernicus Marine Services provides monitoring of physical and biogeochemical status, variability and dynamics of ocean and marine ecosystems in global ocean and European regional marine areas.
 
International conventions, agreements and other acts governing the marine environment:
 
- Convention for the Protection of the Marine Environment of the North-East Atlantic (OSPAR),
- Convention on the Protection of the Marine Environment of the Baltic Sea Area,
- Convention for the Protection of the Mediterranean Sea Against Pollution,
- Convention on the Prevention of Pollution from Ships (MARPOL),
- International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS),
- Convention on the International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea - COLREG,
- The United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea,
- International Convention Relating to Intervention on the High Seas in Cases of Oil Pollution Casualties,
- Convention on the Prevention of Marine Pollution by Dumping of Wastes and Other Matter and the 1996 London Protocol,
- International Convention on Oil Pollution Preparedness, Response and Co-operation (OPRC),
- Protocol on Preparedness, Response and Co-operation in the Event of Hazardous and Noxious Substances (OPRC-HNS Protocol),
- International Convention on the Control of Harmful Anti-fouling Systems on Ships (AFS),
- International Convention for the Control and Management of Ships' Ballast Water and Sediments,
- International Convention on Civil Liability for Oil Pollution Damage - CLC,
- Protocol to the International Convention on the Establishment of an International Fund for Compensation for Oil Pollution Damage,
- Convention relating to Civil Liability in the Field of Maritime Carriage of Nuclear Material - NUCLEAR,
- Athens Convention relating to the Carriage of Passengers and their Luggage by Sea - PAL,
- Convention on Limitation of Liability for Maritime Claims - LLMC,
- International Convention on Liability and Compensation for Damage in Connection with the Carriage of Hazardous and Noxious Substances by Sea - HNS,
-International Convention on Civil Liability for Bunker Oil Pollution Damage (BUNKER) etc.
 

As already mentioned, the marine environment needs to be considered in conjunction with other areas, so it makes sense to check the database of international agreements, protocols and other acts in EUR-LEX and on the website of the International Maritime Organization (IMO). It is also necessary to check which countries are signatories to international acts (it is not necessary that all EU Member States are also signatories to a particular international act).