Resolution (73) - Council of Europe

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at the 225th meeting of the Ministers' Deputies). The Committee of ... proclaim the principle of free public access to t
COUNCIL

COMMITTEE

OF

OF

EUROPE

MINISTERS

RESOLUTION

(73) 29

ON THE PROTECTION OF COASTAL AREAS (Adopted by the Committee of Ministers on 26 October 1973, at the 225th meeting of the Ministers' Deputies)

The Committee of Ministers, A w a r e that a considerable part of Europe's coasts is in a critical c o n d i t i o n o w i n g to the extremely serious biological degradation and aesthetic d i s f i g u r e m e n t caused

by the i n d i s c r i m i n a t e siting of buildings, i n d u s t r y and t o u r i s t f a c i l i t i e s in

coastal areas; Whereas the situation is liable to deteriorate still f u r t h e r in the f u t u r e , h a v i n g regard on the one hand to the scarcity of coastal areas and the v u l n e r a b i l i t y of the seashore, and on the other to the increasing c o n c e n t r a t i o n of h u m a n activities in those areas (urbanisation, the growth of tourist and leisure activities, the developm e n t of ports, m a r i t i m e industries

etc.);

Whereas protection of the coast can o n l y be effective if m u l t i p l e interests and problems are taken simultaneously into account (maintenance of the ecological and biological balance, preservation of the beauty of landscapes and conservation of natural resources, promotion of economic and tourist development, safeguarding of the hinterland); Whereas the present dispersal of responsibilities in regard to coastal belts among numerous public authorities w i t h o u t any co-ordination between them is in some countries

an obstacle to all coherent and concerted

Considering

action

the need for j o i n t international action

to protect the coasts;

at world as well as at

regional level, having regard to the indivisibility of the marine environment; Considering also the particular need for concerted bilateral action where two countries have a d j o i n i n g coastlines: Recommends that the Europe base

governments of the member States of the Council of

their policies in this field on

all

below:

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or some of the measures set out

1.

deal with the problems of p r o t e c t i n g the seashore in the context of the n a t i o n a l

coastal heritage as a whole and, in order to do so: - draw up an i n v e n t o r y and m a k e a comprehensive s t u d y of all t h e i r c o u n t r y ' s coastline - and, if necessary, set

up appropriate s c i e n t i f i c

bodies, of a consultative

nature, to assist the public authorities in this work; 2.

endeavour to divide their coastline into homogeneous zones w i t h i n w h i c h the

land use is rationally planned with respect to the effects of a d j a c e n t zones and the various elements making up the environment; 3.

institute appropriate machinery to co-ordinate the various actions concerning

the coastline whether they are i n i t i a t e d by the State or by local authorities;

4.

make and distribute a systematic review of all existing legal provisions of a

n a t u r e to facilitate the protection of the coasts, whether they relate specifically to coastal belts or to the n a t i o n a l t e r r i t o r y as a whole;

5.

regulate development in coastal areas: - by issuing development bans applying to appropriate strips of land a l o n g

the seafront; - by s u b j e c t i n g the g r a n t i n g of development p e r m i t s to p a r t i c u l a r l y stringent conditions; 6.

proclaim the principle of free p u b l i c access to the coast and give effect to

this principle as required: - by creating adequate means of access to the various

beaches;

- by establishing the necessary rights-of-way through private p r o p e r t y situated on the

seafront; - by purchasing, if need be, the land required to give free access to the beach;

7.

review systematically the uses to which public land in coastal belts is put,

in order to further the policy of protecting and improving those areas;

8.

adopt

general

coastal biotopes, such

measures to protect

and conserve wild

flora

and fauna and

as:

- regulations governing sea fishing, including underwater f i s h i n g ;

- the control of power - the limitation

of traffic

boating; to levels commensurate with the carrying

ty of the 9.

capaciarea;

create nature reserves along the coast w i t h a view

to:

- the conservation of natural, historic, scenic and archeological sites;

-

97

-

- the protection of flora and f a u n a and ecosystems, particularly marshes and intertidal wetlands, such as proposed in Project MAR; 10.

adopt special measures to protect coasts from erosion and landslips:

- by stabilising sand-dunes; -

by regulating excavation and the removal of sand;

- by prohibiting the cutting and uprooting of vegetation; 11.

regulate,

imposing the necessary precautions, the dumping on the coast or

into the sea of any waste products or h a r m f u l substances liable to impair or pollute the coastal environment; 12.

institute regular inspections of

the

cleanliness of beaches and the q u a l i t y

of coastal waters; 13.

place considerable stocks of materials (especially cleansing materials w h i c h

do not d i s t u r b the marine ecological balance) in advance at a p p r o p r i a t e points along the coast, so that any accidental p o l l u t i o n of the beaches can be dealt w i t h rapidly;

14. the

u n d e r t a k e a vigorous campaign to i n f o r m and stir p u b l i c opinion in regard to protection of the seafront and encourage all

safeguard

public

and private i n i t i a t i v e s to

the coastline, especially in the form of the creation and m a n a g e m e n t of

protected areas; 15.

sign a n d / o r ratify the existing world and regional conventions on the protec-

tion of the marine 16.

environment;

co-operate closely w i t h one another where their coastal areas a d j o i n , w i t h a

view to: - harmonising their various sets of regulations and co-ordinating action w i t h regard to the protection of sites, flora and fauna and to p o l l u t i o n control;

- u n d e r t a k i n g where appropriate j o i n t action such as the management of international parks or the pooling of supervisory and pollution control services.

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