Verdrag ter bescherming van het mariene milieu van het Noord-Atlantisch gebied (OSPAR-Verdrag)

This chapter discusses the Convention for the Protection of the Marine Environment of the North-East Atlantic (the 'OSPAR Convention') and the obligations arising from it for state parties, with special attention to the natural heritage Wadden Sea. The research focused not only on the treaty text itself, but also on the decisions taken and soft law documents developed within the treaty system (e.g., Recommendations and Guidelines). Soft law documents are not legally binding, but are legally relevant, especially because they provide more clarity on the meaning of central concepts, the goals of the regimes and the content of obligations and prohibitions. These soft law documents also often clarify how developments that received less attention at the time the treaty came into effect relate to the provisions of the treaty. Consider, for example, topics such as climate change and concerns regarding cumulative effects. The chapter is part of a book that brings together knowledge about 13 international and European legal regimes that aim to protect the Wadden Sea.