A group of 60 countries has joined this Monday to an initiative promoted by the European Union to oppose the application of fees and tolls on international maritime routes, with the aim of safeguarding the freedom of navigation and preventing states from imposing obstacles to the passage of vessels through strategic maritime corridors.
The commitment gathers the support of the 27 partners of the European Union and 33 other states, including the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, Japan, South Korea, Norway, Switzerland, and New Zealand, as well as Bahrain, Oman, and Yemen, located in a key area for global maritime trade.
The agreed text establishes the rejection of "any measure" that hinders legitimate navigation through straits used for international transit, including "the imposition of illegal fees or tolls, discriminatory restrictions, or prior authorization requirements."
The document warns that raising barriers to the passage of vessels through these maritime passages would create "a dangerous precedent" for global strategic routes and asserts that no state should establish discriminatory limitations contrary to International Law, a principle it considers "fundamental for global security."
In this line, the signing states commit to rejecting "any coercive or unilateral action" aimed at "undermining or circumventing" the international legal framework established by the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, which regulates, among other aspects, the rights of navigation and transit through international straits.
The agreement also includes support for multilateral initiatives "defensive and not aimed at escalation" aimed at protecting the freedom of navigation, as well as strengthening cooperation with international organizations, particularly with the International Maritime Organization (IMO), understanding that preserving a "stable and open" international maritime order is "a shared global interest."
The participating countries also emphasize that alterations in maritime routes generate effects that exceed the directly involved states, with "significant repercussions" on international trade, "energy flows, supply chains, and food security."
Open international navigation for all
"International navigation must remain open to all, not just to those who can pay for it," defended the High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Policy, Kaja Kallas, in a message disseminated on social media in which she announced the adherence of 60 countries to the international commitment called "No Fees, No Tolls" (Sin tasas ni peajes).
The highest official of European diplomacy has applauded the global support for this proposal, which she described as "a clear diplomatic signal" directed at those who seek to "hijack maritime routes for their own benefit," while also thanking the involvement of the signing countries and encouraging other states to join the commitment.