Today, the European Commission published recommendations for EU member states to improve their national Marine Strategy. The Marine Strategy Framework Directive(MSFD) requires EU member states to submit their national marine strategies in order to achieve Good Environmental Status for EU marine waters. The Commission has reviewed the 2018 national strategies and made recommendations to each member state. It also made regional recommendations for three of four marine regions included in the Directive (the Baltic Sea and the North-East Atlantic Ocean).
Virginius, Commissioner for Environment, Oceans and Fisheries Sinkeviiussaid:
The European Green Deal is all about protecting our oceans and seas. National marine strategies are crucial to ensure a healthy and clean marine environment. These recommendations show that Member States have improved their ability to assess the marine environment and are collaborating more closely with other countries in each region. However, it is possible to be more specific about the goals. I believe that we can improve the quality and quantity of European seas by incorporating these recommendations, including the specific regional recommendations, into the next cycle in the marine strategies of Member States.
These recommendations are intended to help improve national marine strategies, which will be updated in October 2024. They are focused on establishing environmental targets and assessing and determining Good Environmental Condition. The technical assessment revealed that Member States are more adept at determining their ambition levels than the 2012 reports. However, this level needs to be clearly quantified and environmental targets must specify the progress needed in order to achieve this objective. While the Member States are now better equipped than before to assess the marine environment in their country, they are not able to determine if they have achieved Good Environmental Status. Additional analyses by the Joint Research Centre (JRC), of the Commission, support these conclusions.
Background
The EU’s main tool to protect and preserve the marine environment is called theMarine Strategy Framework Directive. It takes into account all pressures on the oceans and seas and brings them together under one umbrella in order to address the cumulative effect of human activities. The Directive requires EU member states to develop marine strategies to achieve Good Environmental Condition. This directive encourages close cooperation among Member States and across ocean regions on a range of issues such as biodiversity, eutrophication, contaminants, litter and underwater noise. The Marine Strategy Framework Directive should be reviewed by mid-2023. Amendments to the Directive may be needed if necessary. It is vital that the Directive is fully implemented in order to achieve the objectives set out by the EU Biodiversity Strategy for 2030 and Zero Pollution Action Plan.