Marine Strategy Framework Directive progress and future challenges. Richard Cronin Water Division, D/HPCLG

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1 Marine Strategy Framework Directive progress and future challenges Richard Cronin Water Division, D/HPCLG

2 Outline MSFD Key concepts MSFD and WFD Cycle 1 MSFD progress to date incl. implementation challenges A word on OSPAR Cycle 2 MSFD changes to the directive

3 Marine Strategy Framework Directive The environmental pillar of EU and national integrated marine plans - will play a role in maritime spatial planning Objective is to achieve or maintain Good Environmental Status by 2020 Ecosystem based approach Cyclical adaptive approach assess, set targets, set indicators, monitor, set measures, revise Scale and transboundary cooperation Specific descriptors of the pressures on and the state of the marine environment Focus on engagement and participation

4 Ecosystem based management Balancing human activities and environmental stewardship in a multiple use context

5 Scale of implementation and transboundary approach

6 MSFD Descriptors

7 MSFD/WFD Potential Regulatory Convergence

8 2012 Cycle 1 Implementation Initial Assessment of marine environment Development of environmental targets and indicators 2014 Development of a monitoring programme Development and implementation of a programme of measures

9 Implementation status

10 Never done before General cycle 1 challenges Governance structures not in place (national, regional and EU) how to achieve coherence Ambitious legal timelines not in sync with other timelines Potential disproportionate implementation burden Lack of knowledge and data Qualitative assessments and targets make compliance assurance problematic Framework or ecosystem approach requires cross-cutting implementation (no silos) Public participation and stakeholder engagement

11 A word on OSPAR The OSlo PARis Convention for the protection of the environment of the northeast Atlantic (Regional sea convention RSC) Similar vision to MSFD Long standing ecosystem based approach Wider geographic coverage, 15 countries and the EU Works to deliver its own north east Atlantic environment strategy (NEAES) and support MSFD Common indicators

12 Northeast Atlantic

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14 Revisions to the Directive 2014 Following EU assessment of Member States Art. 8, 9 and 10 reports proposed revision to the Common Understanding document agreed and launched Development of technical proposals to ensure better coherence and regulatory convergence 2016 Detailed negotiations and agreement on proposed changes 2017 (last week) Changes adopted as Commission Directive 2017/848 amending 2008/56/EC and Commission Decision 2017/845

15 Key changes Amending Directive 2017/845 Revised indicative list of elements linking human pressure to environmental state Revised Decision 2017/848 Laying down criteria and methodological standards on good environmental status and specifications and standardised methods for monitoring and assessment

16 2017/845 More direct and explicit link between ecosystem structure, function and processes and the human pressures in or affecting the marine environment and a list of human activities affecting the marine environment Now the state of species groups such as birds, mammals, fish, reptiles, cephalopods or chemical, physical, hydrological or biological characteristics are directly linked to human activities such as physical changes, extraction of living and non-living resources, energy, transport, tourism, urban use, cultivation of living resources, security, education and research

17 2017/845 Fewer but mandatory criteria to support each descriptor Numeric threshold values for criteria to be developed at subregional, regional and EU level Acknowledgement of gaps in knowledge, science, information and data Risk based approach/precautionary principle Standardised methodologies Role of the Sea Conventions (OSPAR, HELCOM, etc) Regulatory convergence Eg Descriptors 5 & 8 (Eutrophication and Contaminants) now based on WFD work

18 Cycle 2 challenges Completing cycle 1 reporting on GES for 2020 Address the gaps arising from cycle 1 Improving governance, implementation and telling the story Developing sub-regional (i.e. Celtic seas) Threshold Values and Criteria migration from qualitative to quantitative descriptions Achieving appropriate regulatory convergence Addressing timelines Supporting Maritime Spatial Planning and sustainable use Socio-economics and valuing ecosystem services

19 Cycle 2 challenges Focusing resources on the key pressures and ecosystem components (developing a transboundary risk based approach) Closing knowledge gaps reducing uncertainty Understanding natural variability Developing integrated ecosystem assessment / cumulative effects / assessment scales tool Develop coherent, connected and representative Marine Protected Area network (MPAs) Working with the Regional Seas and looking at the BIG PICTURE

20 Thank You