{"id":45013,"date":"2026-09-24T03:53:11","date_gmt":"2026-09-24T03:53:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/this-is-vegan.com\/?p=45013"},"modified":"2026-09-24T03:53:11","modified_gmt":"2026-09-24T03:53:11","slug":"high-seas-treaty-ratification","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/this-is-vegan.com\/en\/high-seas-treaty-ratification\/","title":{"rendered":"High Seas Treaty: Germany Joins as 94 Countries Have Now Ratified"},"content":{"rendered":"

The High Seas Treaty has been in force since January 2026, and the list of countries behind it keeps growing. On 22 September 2026 Germany deposited its instrument of ratification at the United Nations, bringing the total to 94 states plus the European Union. The first meeting of the parties is set for January 2027. Here is what the treaty covers, who has signed up and when the first protected areas could follow.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"Sea<\/picture>
Sea turtles cross the high seas on their migrations, one of many species the treaty is meant to protect.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Germany is now a party.<\/span><\/h2>\n

German Environment Minister Carsten Schneider handed over the ratification documents on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York. He called the treaty \u201cthe greatest international environmental policy success of recent years\u201d. Germany had already passed a national High Seas Protection Act in spring 2026, so the rules become binding for German actors on 21 October 2026, thirty days after accession. From then on, ships flying the German flag and German research teams working on the high seas have to follow them.<\/p>\n

Germany matters here as one of Europe\u2019s larger maritime and marine research nations. Many EU member states have now ratified, alongside the EU itself.<\/p>\n

What the treaty does.<\/span><\/h2>\n

Its official name is the Agreement on Marine Biological Diversity of Areas beyond National Jurisdiction, usually shortened to BBNJ. It applies to the ocean beyond the 200 nautical mile exclusive economic zones of coastal states, about two thirds of the world\u2019s ocean and roughly half of the planet\u2019s surface. Before it, only around one percent of that area was protected.<\/p>\n

The treaty rests on four parts:<\/p>\n