Project description
Deep-sea mining on Arctic legal challenges
In 2024, Norway opened 280 000 km2 of its Arctic continental shelf to mineral exploration, raising concerns in the EU over biodiversity loss, pollution, methane emissions, and impacts on fisheries. Supported by the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions programme, the ARCTICMINER project will evaluate how deep-sea mining on the continental shelf aligns with international obligations under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea and the Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction Agreement, with a focus on Norway. The project aims to balance coastal states’ rights with those of the international community and assess whether recent legal developments call for changes in state practices.
Objective
ARCTICMINER addresses a knowledge gap on the protection of the marine environment during the deep-sea mining on continental shelves. In 2024, Norway opened 280,000 km² of its Arctic continental shelf (CS) for mineral exploration, making it one of the first coastal states to pursue such activities. These endeavors have direct significance to the EU due to the risks of biodiversity loss, pollution, releasing methane, and potential adverse effects on EU fisheries.
The main objective of ARCTICMINER is to assess how deep-sea mining on CS aligns with international obligations of coastal states, particularly under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea and the newly adopted Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction Agreement (BBNJ). The project also explores how coastal states' sovereign rights to engage in deep-sea mining can be balanced with the rights of the international community. The project will test two hypotheses: first, whether recent developments in international law require adjustments in coastal states’ practice; and second, to what extent the rights of coastal states can be limited by obligations not to infringe upon high seas freedoms and the common concern of humankind in conserving biodiversity.
ARCTICMINER will use doctrinal and law in context methods to analyze coastal states’ obligations, placing the analysis in the context of new developments, such as BBNJ, protection of rights of future generations, and rights of nature. The project will generate policy recommendations, potentially influencing states’ policies related to deep-sea mining. ARCTICMINER will also use case-study approach to analyze Norway's practice.
The novelty of ARCTICMINER lies in its focus on an emerging issue of deep-sea mining on CS and its integration of the newly adopted BBNJ Agreement into the analysis. The project aims to contribute to more sustainable ocean management, aligning with the objectives of the MSCA Work Programme and the EU Green Deal.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
- agricultural sciences agriculture, forestry, and fisheries fisheries
- natural sciences earth and related environmental sciences environmental sciences pollution
- natural sciences chemical sciences organic chemistry aliphatic compounds
- social sciences law
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Keywords
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
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HORIZON.1.2 - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA)
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Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Funding Scheme
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
HORIZON-TMA-MSCA-PF-EF - HORIZON TMA MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
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Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) HORIZON-MSCA-2024-PF-01
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Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.
9019 Tromso
Norway
The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.