| accobams | Agreement on the Conservation of Cetaceans of the Black Sea, Mediterranean Sea and Contiguous Atlantic Area |
| aewa | Agreement on the Conservation of African- Eurasian Migratory Waterbirds |
| ascobans | Agreement on the Conservation of Small Cetaceans of the Baltic and North Seas |
| bat | Best Available Technology |
| bep | Best Environmental Practice |
| cbd | Convention on Biological Diversity |
| cms | Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals |
| colregs | Convention on the International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea |
| cop | Conference of the Parties |
| eez | Exclusive Economic Zone |
| eia | Environmental impact assessment |
| helcom | Baltic Marine Environment Protection Commission |
| icj | International Court of Justice |
| icrw | International Convention for the Regulation of Whaling |
| iea | International Energy Agency |
| ilc | International Law Commission |
| imo | International Maritime Organization |
| ipcc | Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change |
| irena | International Renewable Energy Agency |
| itlos | International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea |
| iwc | International Whaling Commission |
| mepc | Marine Environment Protection Committee |
| mop | Meeting of the Parties |
| mpa | Marine protected area |
| msc | Maritime Safety Committee |
| msp | Marine Spatial Planning |
| sea | Strategic environmental assessment |
| solas | International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea |
| UN | United Nations |
| unclos | United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea |
| unece | United Nations Economic Commission for Europe |
| unep | United National Environment Programme |
| vclt | Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties |