ThePolishexclusive economic zone (Polish EEZ) has an area of 30,533 km2 (11,789 sq mi) within theBaltic Sea.[1]
It includes the following bathymetric basins:Bornholm Basin (part; max. depth 95 m or 312 ft within Polish EEZ),Slupsk Furrow (entire; max. depth 93 m or 305 ft),Gotland Basin (part; max. depth 120 m or 390 ft within Polish EEZ ), andGdansk Basin (part; max. depth 107 m or 351 ft within Polish EEZ). There are a number ofshoals between the basins and the Polish coast, includingOdra Bank (min. depth 4.5 m or 15 ft),Slupsk Bank (min. depth 8 m or 26 ft),Stilo Bank (min. depth 18 m or 59 ft) andSouthern Middle Bank (min. depth 14 m or 46 ft).[1]
Of the mineral resources within the Polish EEZ, the best recognized aregravel andsand deposits.[1]
Poland has a regulated economic zone withSweden,Denmark andRussia. In the case of Russia, the agreement was signed by the formerSoviet Union, but is recognized as Russia is thelegal successor.
Poland also had a regulated economic zone withEast Germany since 1989. After thereunification of Germany, the newGerman state recognizes the previous arrangements only as regards the state border, but does not recognize the arrangements with East Germany as regards the exclusive economic zone.
Since the 1980s until 2018, the issue of the demarcation of economic zones between Poland and Denmark remained unresolved: the dispute concerned the body of water to the south-east ofBornholm. The Polish state should apply here the provision of the Act on maritime areas of the Republic of Poland, which states that theCouncil of Ministers may – in the absence of international agreements – define the boundary of the exclusive economic zone by regulation. Since no such act was issued, the regulation of the Council of Ministers (of May 26, 1978) was applied in practice, defining the external borders of the Polish seafishing zone.[2] However, this zone is not recognized by neighboring countries.[3] The border between the Polish and Danish EEZ was established in November 2018.[4]