| Abstract [eng] |
This work seeks to identify the challenges and solutions to the legal regulation of submarine cables and pipelines and to address protection issues beyond the territorial sea. The work is guided by international law conventions, their commentaries and case law. In addition, it draws on scholarly articles and publications dealing with legal instruments for the protection of submarine cables and pipelines. Case law is used to provide a more detailed understanding of the application and interpretation of international law. The first part of the Master's thesis discusses the evolution and content of the right to build these objects, and a review of the rules of international law sources highlights the fragmentation of legal instruments applicable to the protection of submarine cables and pipelines. The second part examines the international case law relating to the various types of marine use, helping to clarify the rights and obligations of the parties and potentially shaping the universal rules applicable to maritime freedoms. The third part analyses the events in the Baltic Sea between 2014 and 2024 related to submarine cable and pipeline infrastructure and the implications for Lithuania, summarising the possible options for taking preventive action and imposing liability on individuals and states to protect submarine cables and pipelines, highlighting the shortcomings of national regulation and making related proposals. The results of the work show that the safeguards provided by international law are fragmented and often very limited. Despite the weaknesses of international regulation, the paper highlights the tools provided by international law, which Lithuania has not made use of and which could extend Lithuania's jurisdiction in the areas of taking preventive action and imposing liability on individuals. |
