It Takes Four to Tango: Quadrilateral Boundary Negotiations in the NE Atlantic

It Takes Four to Tango: Quadrilateral Boundary Negotiations in the North-East Atlantic

This contribution examines the current state of play in the boundary negotiations between the UK, Ireland, Denmark and Iceland in the North-East Atlantic. It reviews the recent British, Irish and Danish submissions to the Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf and finds that while these submissions have been instrumental in clarifying the legal and scientific basis of the parties' perception of their continental shelf entitlements beyond 200 nm, in view of Iceland's objections, such moves need to be reappraised. As things now stand, quadrilateral action is indispensable to any future settlement attempt, whether by interstate negotiation or through judicial means.