Ruth Coppinger (Dublin West, Solidarity)
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63. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the progress on the ratification of the UN High Seas Treaty; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46602/25]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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The UN High Seas Treaty is formally known as the Agreement under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea on the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Marine Biological Diversity of Areas beyond National Jurisdiction, or more commonly referred to as the BBNJ Agreement. The BBNJ Agreement, in broad terms, aims to close significant gaps in global ocean governance by providing a framework to enhance protection of the marine environment in international waters.

Ireland was actively involved in the negotiation of the BBNJ Agreement and was among the first countries to sign it, subject to ratification, on 20 September 2023. We are a strong supporter of the Agreement and are committed to ratifying and implementing it as soon as possible. Officials from my Department and from the Department of Climate, Energy and the Environment recently participated in the meeting of the Preparatory Commission that is preparing for the entry into force of the BBNJ Agreement. Officials are also actively engaged in ongoing consideration of the actions necessary to facilitate ratification of the BBNJ Agreement and the subsequent requirements for national implementation. That process will reflect the fact that the BBNJ Agreement is a 'mixed agreement' for which the European Union and its member states share competence, but the Government is committed to the earliest possible ratification.