A ministerial meeting of the former Oslo and Paris Commissions in September 1992 adopted the Convention for the Protection of the Marine Environment of the North-East Atlantic, known as the OSPAR Convention. Its provisions for dealing with marine pollution - which take on board the Oslo and Paris conventions for the prevention of marine pollution - came into force on March 25th this year, and oblige its 15 member-states including Ireland "to take all possible steps to prevent and eliminate marine pollution, and to take the necessary measures to protect the maritime area against the adverse effects of human activities". The first annual meeting of the OSPAR Commission takes place this week.