ABSTRACT
This chapter examines patterns of cooperation and conflict, of agreements and disagreements on maritime boundaries in the Mediterranean Sea. It focuses on national claims to maritime jurisdictions in the Mediterranean, on methods of delimitation of maritime boundaries in the Mediterranean Sea and on agreements and disputes concerning maritime boundaries. The theory and practice of maritime boundary delimitation and measurement will be analyzed under the headings of 'straight baselines proclamation' and 'continental shelf delimitation'. France established straight baselines in 1967. Italy defined its baselines in 1978. The third UN Conference on the Law of the Sea which was concluded in 1982 with a new convention, has dramatically changed the maritime legal regime in the Mediterranean. The adoption of the 1982 Convention had highlighted many of the disputes and conflicts over maritime jurisdiction. The 1982 Convention states that the normal baseline for the measurement of maritime zones is the low-water mark along the coast.
