Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will make representations to (a) Russia, (b) China, (c) Norway and (d) South Korea on establishing a Marine Protected Area in the Weddell Sea.
The Weddell Sea Marine Protected Area proposal is currently being finalised by those European Union Member States who are also Members of the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR). International consultations are underway at official and technical levels with CCAMLR Members including those from Russia, China, Norway and the Republic of Korea. The final proposal will be submitted to CCAMLR in September, when we will work with other EU Members to consider the most appropriate level of lobbying to secure agreement for the proposal.