Issue 072019-2020

Climate change has become one of the most critical concerns for mankind and urgent action is needed. The European Union (EU) Global Strategy of 2016 also considers climate change as a severe factor that may disrupt economic growth and endanger both citizens and territory. The International Maritime Organization (IMO) sought, but failed to reach, a …More

This paper focuses on the responsibility of the European Union in the context of illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing activities. It aims to debate some of the legal issues that characterize its role as a global actor dealing with marine resources and the protection of the environment. For this purpose, I analyse an Advisory Opinion …More

Operators of commercial vessels have rescued tens of thousands of migrant seafarers in the Mediter- ranean Sea since 2014. For commercial actors, swift disembarkation of survivors is critical to ensure safety and prevent further disruption to the rescuing vessel’s primary voyage. From 2014 through 2017, European coastal states such as Italy, Malta, and Greece permitted …More

The recent migrant crisis in the Mediterranean Sea has clearly revealed the unclear legal basis for interdicting stateless migrant smuggling vessels in international waters. Despite claims to unilateral enforcement powers by some Western states, the law of the sea does not provide a strong jurisdictional basis for seizing such vessels outside territorial waters. Western destination …More