In Maiore Stat Minus: A Note on the EEZ and the Zones of Ecological Protection in the Mediterranean Sea

This article examines the different attitudes taken by Mediterranean States in implementing their 200-nautical-mile exclusive economic zone. After the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea was signed in 1982, some Mediterranean coastal states unilaterally extended their jurisdiction over sea areas establishing a "virtual" EEZ adjacent to the territorial sea. Recently, other states have been extending their jurisdiction by establishing fisheries zones, Special Protected Areas, or both. These zones represent a partial implementation of the EEZ, as the Mediterrean states are only exercising certain powers provided by the LOS Convention regarding the environment.