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Europe

Europe

Legal Instruments

Title Legal Status About agreement Logo
Agreement on the Conservation of Populations of European Bats (EUROBATS) Entry into force: 15 Jan 1994 RECOGNISING the unfavourable conservation status of bats in Europe and non-European Range States and in particular the serious threat to them from habitat degradation, disturbance of roosting sites and certain pesticides; Region: Europe Number of parties: 0

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Agreement on the Conservation of Small Cetaceans of the Baltic and North Seas (ASCOBANS). ASCOBANS was concluded in 1991 and entered into force in 1994 It is under the auspices of the Convention on Migratory Species (CMS or Bonn Convention) and entered into force in 1994. In February 2008, an extension of the agreement area came into force which changed the name to "Agreement on the Conservation of Small Cetaceans of the Baltic, North East Atlantic, Irish and North Seas". Region: Europe Number of parties: 10

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Carpathian Convention: The Framework Convention on the Protection and Sustainable Development of the Carpathians. Signed by the seven Parties in May 2003 in Kyiv, Ukraine, and entered into force in January 2006. It was adopted and signed by the seven Parties (Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Slovak Republic, and Ukraine). It is the only multi-level governance mechanism covering the whole of the Carpathian area and besides the Alpine Convention the second sub-regional treaty-based regime for the protection and sustainable development of a mountain region worldwide.

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Convention for the Protection of the Marine Environment and the Coastal Region of the Mediterranean Barcelona Convention - Sun, 12 February 1978 The original text, the Convention for the Protection of the Mediterranean Sea Against Pollution, was adopted in 1976 and in 1995, the Contracting Parties adopted an amended version of the Barcelona Convention of 1976, renamed Convention for the Protection of the Marine Environment and the Coastal Region of the Mediterranean. The Convention's main objectives are to: • assess and control marine pollution; • ensure sustainable management of natural marine and coastal resources; • integrate the environment in social and economic development; • protect the marine environment and coastal zones through prevention and reduction of pollution, and as far as possible, elimination of pollution, whether land or sea-based; • protect the natural and cultural heritage; • strengthen solidarity among Mediterranean coastal States; • contribute to improvement of the quality of life.

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Convention for the Protection of the Marine Environment of the Northeast Atlantic - the OSPAR Convention Entered into force on 25 March 1998 OSPAR is the mechanism by which 15 Governments & the EU cooperate to protect the marine environment of the North-East Atlantic. OSPAR Convention: was open for signature at the Ministerial Meeting of the Oslo and Paris Commissions in Paris on 22 September 1992. It was adopted together with a Final Declaration and an Action Plan. The Convention has been signed and ratified by all of the Contracting Parties to the original Oslo or Paris Conventions (Belgium, Denmark, the European Union, Finland, France, Germany, Iceland, Ireland, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland) along with Luxembourg and Switzerland.

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Convention on The Protection of the Marine Environment of the Baltic Sea Area (Helsinki Convention) Initially signed in 1974. New covention signed in 1992 In 1974 the Baltic Sea States signed the Convention on the Protection of the Marine Environment of the Baltic Sea Area, also In 1974 the Baltic Sea States signed the Convention on the Protection of the Marine Environment of the Baltic Sea Area, also known as the Helsinki Convention, which was replaced nearly two decades after, by the new Convention on the Protection of the Marine Environment of the Baltic Sea Area signed in 1992. In 2003 a HELCOM Ministerial Meeting decided that all HELCOM actions must be based on an “ecosystem approach” to the management of the human activities known as the Helsinki Convention, which was replaced nearly two decades after, by the new Convention on the Protection of the Marine Environment of the Baltic Sea Area signed in 1992.

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Convention on the Transboundary Effects of Industrial Accidents Entry into force: 19 Apr 2000 It aims at protecting human beings and the environment against industrial accidents by preventing such accidents as far as possible, by reducing their frequency and severity and by mitigating their effects. It promotes active international cooperation between the contracting Parties, before, during and after an industrial accident. Region: Europe Number of parties: 41

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The Convention on the Protection of the Black Sea Against Pollution ("Bucharest Convention"). It was signed in Bucharest in April 1992, and ratified by all six legislative assemblies of the Black Sea countries in the beginning of 1994. It is the basic framework of agreement and three specific Protocols, which are: (1) the control of land-based sources of pollution; (2) dumping of waste; and (3) joint action in the case of accidents (such as oil spills). The implementation of the Convention is managed by the Commission for the Protection of the Black Sea Against Pollution (also sometimes referred to as the Istanbul Commission), and its Permanent Secretariat is in Istanbul, Turkey. Basic objective of the Convention on the Protection of the Black Sea Against Pollution: To substantiate the general obligation of the Contracting Parties to prevent, reduce and control the pollution in the Black Sea in order to protect and preserve the marine environment and to provide legal framework for co-operation and concerted actions to fulfil this obligation. In particular: • To prevent pollution by hazardous substances or matter; Annex to the Convention • To prevent, reduce and control the pollution from land-based sources; Protocol to the Convention • To prevent, reduce and control the pollution of the marine environment from vessels in accordance with the generally accepted rules and standards;

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The Focal Point for all these at UN Environment is Ms. Kanako Hasegawa