- CHECK AGAINST DELIVERY -

Madam President,

I have the honour to speak on behalf of the European Union and its 27 member States. Since this is the first time I am taking the floor at this meeting, I would like to start by congratulating you on your election, as well as the new members of the Bureau. We are happy to be participating once again in a physical meeting of States Parties. I would like to assure you of our cooperation throughout this session.

As the fortieth anniversary of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea is approaching, the European Union and its Member States would like to pay a special tribute to the contribution of the Tribunal in implementing one of the most important dimensions of UNCLOS and the UN Charter, the peaceful settlement of disputes.

We want to stress that the European Union and its Members States remain strongly committed to promoting the peaceful resolution of disputes among States.

In this regard, let me express our full solidarity with Ukraine and our condemnation of Russia's unprovoked and unjustified act of military aggression against a sovereign independent country, which grossly violates international law, including the UN Charter, and undermines international security and stability. We strongly condemn attacks by Russia against commercial vessels and Ukrainian ports and their facilities, as well as all Russian Federation action, in the northern part of the Black Sea, the Azov Sea and the Kerch Strait. We stand firmly with Ukraine and its people in standing up against this cruel aggression.

Madam President,

The European Union and its Member States are grateful to the President and the Registrar for the detailed report on the Tribunal’s activity. As usual, this report contains comprehensive and well-structured information on the overall activity of the Tribunal as well as a detailed description of its work during 2021.

We wish to commend the Tribunal for the way it has handled, once again in 2021, the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on its activity. Indeed, the measures it has implemented allowed the Tribunal to perform its duties while protecting the health of its members, the Registry staff and its visitors, namely by holding deliberations and one session in hybrid format.

We further wish to commend the judicial work of the Tribunal, which is well reflected in the report. We take this opportunity to extend our gratitude to the President for his involvement in promoting the significant role of the Tribunal, especially during the celebrations of its Twenty-fifth anniversary and during the seventy-sixth session of the UN General Assembly.

Finally, we would like to express our appreciation to the Tribunal for holding capacity-building activities, as we have just heard in the President’s statement, in spite of the challenges posed by the pandemic. We consider that these activities are paramount in contributing to further dispute settlement capabilities, in particular of developing countries.

Madam President,

The European Union and its Member States would like to reiterate their continued support to the work of the Tribunal and their commitment to promote its authority within the framework of its mandate under UNCLOS. We also encourage States to make their contributions on time, as it is instrumental in the smooth operation of the Tribunal as a major pillar for the dispute settlement system and the rule of law.

Thank you Madam President.