North-East Atlantic regional cooperation
The overarching topics in the policy for the North Sea are spatial planning, achieving and maintaining good environmental status and ensuring there is a good balance between functions and use, on the one hand, and the carrying capacity of the North Sea system on the other. Mandatory treaties and cooperation agreements in the North-East Atlantic region support this policy, not only for the North Sea, but also for other bodies of water in the area.
OSPAR, ASCOBANS and AEWA
The Oslo - Paris Convention (OSPAR) protects the marine environment in the entire North-East Atlantic area. In practice, that is generally regulated under the national interpretation of the obligations under the terms of the Marine Strategy Framework Directive.
Two agreements have been concluded in the region for the protection of small cetaceans and migratory waterfowl. The first of these, ASCOBANS, protects small cetaceans in the Baltic Sea, the North-East Atlantic Ocean, the Irish Sea and the North Sea. The second, AEWA, aims to maintain or restore good conservation status for waterfowl that migrate between Africa and Europe.
Bonn, Berne and Espoo Conventions
Under the terms of the global Bonn Convention, the Netherlands, Denmark and Germany have signed the trilateral Agreement on the Conservation of Seals in the Wadden Sea (WSSA).
The Berne Convention has a broader objective. It sets out to maintain all wild animal and plant species and the natural environments in which they live (in all open bodies of water in Europe).
Lastly, under the terms of the Espoo Convention, states with a coastline in the North-East Atlantic region must share Environmental Impact Assessments for cross-border activities and/or any potential effects they may have. The Convention also specifies measures to prevent 'passing the buck' in relation to those effects.