The role of the Economic Exclusive Zone (EEZ) in the international law of the sea remains a controversial issue two decades after the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (LOSC) came into force. This chapter examines the evolution of the concept and its juridical nature, and the legal regime applicable to the EEZ. It considers the future development of the EEZ legal regime, exploring the principal controversial features that may influence its course.