The marine environment of the Adriatic Sea has been a subject to different sources of pollution in the past years. One of these is oil, without which the economic development would currently be impossible to imagine. Despite the extensive international legal framework for the protection of the marine environment provided by the Law of the Sea, regional and sub-regional regimes are just as important, taking into account the characteristics of each sea, and national regimes of coastal states that develop national plans for acting in case of ecological disaster.
The Adriatic Sea is a unique ecosystem due to its characteristics. However, it connects the world to the central Europe through the many transport routes that pass through the ports of the northern Adriatic. In the future, the trend of increasing maritime traffic will continue, which poses a greater risk of disasters in the event of a maritime accident. The North Adriatic is bordered by three countries, where different political, economic and legal interests are intertwined but united by a common desire to protect the marine environment from the pollution, which is reflected in various documents adopted so far and initiatives for further cooperation in this area.
Yet, one of the unrealized possibilities remains the designation of the North Adriatic as a "Particularly Sensitive Sea Area (PSSA)", which represents a measure to achieve additional protection and safety against maritime accidents. To implement such an initiative, however, unilateral action by a single country is not sufficient. It requires close cross-border cooperation all surrounding countries to achieve a common goal of a higher level of protection of the marine environment.
|
