Maritime Delimitation in the Black Sea (Romania v. Ukraine) - The Court will hold public hearings from Tuesday 2 to Friday 19 September 2008

INTERNATIONAL COURT OF JUSTICE

Peace Palace, Carnegieplein 2, 2517 KJ The Hague, Netherlands
Tel.: +31 (0)70 302 2323 Fax: +31 (0)70 364 9928
Website: www.icj-cij.org

Press Release
Unofficial

No. 2008/22

24 July 2008

Maritime Delimitation in the Black Sea
(Romania v. Ukraine)

The Court will hold public hearings from Tuesday 2 to Friday 19 September 2008

THE HAGUE, 24 July 2008. The International Court of Justice (ICJ), principal judicial
organ of the United Nations, will hold public hearings in the case concerning Maritime

Delimitation in the Black Sea (Romania v. Ukraine), from Tuesday 2 to Friday 19 September 2008,
at the Peace Palace in The Hague, seat of the Court.

Schedule for the hearings

⎯ First round of oral argument

Tuesday 2 September 2008 10 a.m.-1 p.m.: Romania

Wednesday 3 September 2008 10 a.m.-1 p.m.: Romania

Thursday 4 September 2008 10 a.m.-1 p.m.: Romania

Friday 5 September 2008 10 a.m.-1 p.m.: Romania

Tuesday 9 September 2008 10 a.m.-1 p.m.: Ukraine

Wednesday 10 September 2008 10 a.m.-1 p.m.: Ukraine

Thursday 11 September 2008 10 a.m.-1 p.m.: Ukraine

Friday 12 September 2008 10 a.m.-1 p.m.: Ukraine

⎯ Second round of oral argument

Monday 15 September 2008 10 a.m.-1 p.m.: Romania

Tuesday 16 September 2008 10 a.m.-1 p.m.: Romania

Thursday 18 September 2008 3 p.m.-6 p.m.: Ukraine

Friday 19 September 2008 3 p.m.-6 p.m.: Ukraine - 2 -

History of proceedings

On 16 September 2004, Romania filed an A pplication instituting proceedings against
Ukraine in respect of a dispute “concern[ing] the establishment of a single maritime boundary
between the two States in the Black Sea, thereby delimiting the continental shelf and the exclusive
economic zones appertaining to them”.

In its Application Romania states that on 2 June 1997 Ukraine and itself signed a Treaty on
Relations of Co-operation and Good-Neighbourliness, as well as an Additional Agreement, by
which the two States committed themselves to fi nding agreement on the above-mentioned matters.

Both instruments entered into force on 22 October 1997. Romania contends that negotiations held
since 1998 have been inconclusive.

As a basis for the Court’s juri sdiction Romania invokes Article4 (h) of the Additional

Agreement, which provides inter alia that the dispute be brought to the International Court of
Justice at the request of any of the Parties if unresolved in a reasonable period of time, not later
than 2 years after the initiation of the negotiations.

Romania filed its Memorial and Ukraine its Counter-Memorial within the time-limits fixed
by the Court by an Order of 19 November 2004 (19 August 2005 and 19 May 2006 respectively).
By an Order of 30 June 2006, theCourt authorized the filing of a Reply by Romania and a
Rejoinder by Ukraine and fixed time-limits for the filing of these pleadings of 22 December 2006

and 15 June 2007 respectively. Romania filed its Re ply within the time-limit fixed. By an Order
of 8 June 2007 the Court extended the time-limit fo r the filing of the Rejoinder by Ukraine to
6 July 2007. The Rejoinder was duly filed within the time-limit thus extended.

In their written pleadings, the Parties have inter alia adopted differing positions as to the
starting-point of the maritime boundary to be esta blished by the Court and the methodology to be
used in drawing that boundary. They consequently advocate different courses for the boundary.

Since the Court included upon the bench no judge of the nationality of either of the Parties,
each Party proceeded to exercise its right conferred by Article 31, paragraph 3, of the Statute to
choose a judge ad hoc to sit on the case. Romania chose Mr. Jean-Pierre Cot (France) and Ukraine
chose Mr. Bernard H. Oxman (United States of America).

*

N OTE TO THE PRESS AND PUBLIC

1. The public hearings will be held in th e Great Hall of Justice of the Peace Palace in
The Hague, Netherlands. Mobile telephones and beepers are permitted in the courtroom provided
they are switched off. Any offending device will be temporarily retained.

2. Media representatives are subject to an accreditation procedure, the details of which
can be found in the Media Advisory attached to this Press Release. The accreditation procedure
will close at midday on Monday 1 September 2008. - 3 -

3. Individual visitors (with the exception of members of the Diplomatic Corps) and groups
are subject to an admission procedur e. They are kindly requested to give advance notification of

their attendance by filling out the relevant form on the C ourt’s website (to the right of the screen
under Calendar, click on “Attending a Hearing”, then under “Admission for individuals” or
“Admission for groups”, click on “Online Application Form”). The admission procedure will
close at midday on Monday 1 September 2008.

4. Verbatim records of the hearings will be published daily on the Court’s website, with
translations to follow as soon as practicable thereafter.

___________

Information Department:

Mrs. Laurence Blairon, Secretary of the Court, Head of Department (+31 (0)70 302 2336)
Messrs. Boris Heim and Maxime Schouppe, Information Officers (+31 (0)70 302 2337)

Ms Joanne Moore, Associate Information Officer (+31 (0)70 302 2394)