The European Union and seabed mining

The destruction suffered across Europe due to centuries of conquests and wars, particularly those that were inflicted during the second world war, eventually gave birth to a strong desire to foster peace and mutual benefit across the borders of the European powers. The single european act of 1986 marked a first transformation of the European economic community towards a cooperation. This aspiration was subsequently manifested through the 1991 Maastricht Treaty on the European Union. The environmental impact assessment directive is one of the oldest EU environmental legislations. Together with the strategic environmental assessment directive, they apply, in a complementary way, to seabed mining activities on the continental shelf of member states. The Barcelona convention is an emblematic instrument which influenced the making of many other regional conventions due to the mechanism set up between the convention and its seven protocols. It comprises 22 contracting parties bordering the Mediterranean sea, including the EU.