The international law of the sea is one of the most dynamic branches of international law. Issues in the law are diverse and the scope of those issues is ever-expanding. In this regard, what is of particular importance is to identify the direction of the future development of the law of the sea. Thus, this final chapter will consider the following issues: (1) the contemporary issues that arise under paradigms I and II, (2) three models for protecting community interests at sea, that is, the decentralised-relational model, the institutional-communitarian model, the judicial model, (3) a need for systemic outlook in the law of the sea, and (4) temporal elements in the future development of the international law of the sea.

This chapter explores the origins and evolution of supranationality. It contrasts different conceptualizations across various (legal) disciplines by singling out four important contexts which have informed the notion: the turn to modern international law, the establishment of the European Communities, EU law scholarship and the law of IOs. The chapter demonstrates how supranationality is construed through both international law and EU law, which is one of the very reasons its meaning is difficult to pin down. Supranationality, as a doctrinal concept, appears to be trapped by the unresolved quandary of whether EU law is still to be conceived of as being part of international law.