David Connor European Commission DG Environment Unit C.2 Marine Environment and Water Industry Towards integrated marine environmental information WG DIKE 26 February 2014, Brussels

INTEGRATION AND STREAMLINING AGENDA

Nature, Water & Marine Directors’ mandate Copenhagen, June 2012: Future joint work to focus, inter alia, on: cooperation on an integrated approach in the implementation of the EU legislation on nature and water, including coherent interpretation of definitions, streamlining and harmonisation of reporting and monitoring under the directives in order to avoid duplication.

Nature, Water & Marine Directors’ mandate Vilnius, December 2013 Invited the Commission, in close collaboration with the Member States and the EEA, to: continue work on the streamlining of data management between BISE and WISE (including marine) based on the results of the on-going project and to make recommendations as to how existing procedures and timetables could be streamlined and made more cost effective within the existing legal framework. This should be done in clear recognition of the difference between binding reporting obligation and sharing informally other information and data to increase our common knowledge base.

Joint workshop  Call in February for MS to help prepare  Preparatory meeting in Spring  Topic: suggest focus on Part 1 of Director’s conclusions:  Objectives (links via review of GES Decision)  Monitoring, measures, data management  MPAs  Links with CFP and other policies  Tentative date: December 2014

MSFD AS A DRIVER

MSFD and policy integration MSFD Art. 1(4): “This Directive shall contribute to coherence between, and aim to ensure the integration of environmental concerns into, the different policies, agreements and legislative measures which have an impact on the marine environment.” MSFD explicitly mentions the following: Water Framework Directive Habitats Directive Birds Directive Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive Bathing Water Directive Environmental Information Directive INSPIRE Directive Regional Sea Conventions & other international agreements

Need for integrated systems Marine Strategy Framework Directive: 1.Broad geographic scope a.WFD Coastal Waters b.EEZs (or similar) c.Continental Shelf areas (seabed and subsoil only) 2.Broad topic scope a.All aspects of marine environmental quality b.All pressures and impacts c.All human activities d.Ecosystem-based approach 3.Seeks integration with other policies 4.Requires cooperation with Regional Sea Conventions

BWD Habitats Birds CFP EQSD Nitrates UWWTD MSFD Integration across policies WFD International Conventions

State AirWaterSpeciesSeabed CO 2 Quality Nutrients Oceanography Plankton Birds Mammals Reptiles Fish Physical seabed Hydrology Communities Pressures EnergyChemicalBiologicalPhysical Noise Heat Light Electro- magnetic Hazardous substances Nutrients/organics Greenhouse gases Oil spills Litter Species extraction, injury, disturbance Introductions - non- indigenous, genetic Microbial pathogens Change/loss - infrastructure Damage Extraction Policies Habitats Birds WFD MSFD CFP EQSD Nitrates UWWTD BWDCAP EIA/SEA Regional Sea Conventions

BRINGING TOGETHER EU AND RSC PROCESSES

Integration between MS, RSCs & EU Contracting Parties Regional Sea Conventions Member States European Commission/ European Environment Agency Convention obligations EU Directives Similar objectives Similar data RSCs

Aim towards shared data/ information systems: RSCs EC/EEA CPs/MS

FROM AMBITION TO REALITY

Aim: Better results with less effort Effective leads to consistent & improved assessments informs management actions and policy Efficient for MS, RSCs, EC, EEA - report once, use many times reduces administrative burden, easy access to multiple data Accessible, informative to stakeholders, public Integrative allows interrogation across policies Dynamic up-to-date systems

Integrating data & information systems Content Bring together into common framework (schema) Consistent data across policies Processes Improve efficiency of data flows Reduce administrative burden of reporting (report once) Gain agreements on content with MS Agreements between policies (e.g. on timing) IT systems Web-based systems Dynamic reporting (pull systems) Integrated data from/for multiple policies User-friendly interfaces for interrogation

Phased approach Phase I: Review existing reporting (Directives, RSCs) MRAG/UNEP-WCMC/URS reports EU/RSC data project Phase II: Define EU-level needs via a holistic Marine Data and Information Schema Based on DPSIR Already embedded in MSFD 2012 reporting Accommodate reporting of other policies Phase III: Assess scope for streamlining & harmonisation E.g. at data level, timing Phase IV: Develop IT solutions Improved data flows (MS-RSC-EU), INSPIRE, linking EU/RSC systems

A COMMON FRAMEWORK: BASED ON DPSIR  MARINE DATA AND INFORMATION SCHEMA

Management (Policies & Governance) Measures Monitoring Socio- economic benefits Ecosystem service benefits Environmental impacts Framework for information system

Pressures Impacts Goods & services List of pressures: Physical Hydrological Chemical Biological List of human activities: Sea-based Land-based List of ecosystem components: Physical/chemical Species/functional groups Habitats Ecosystem functions Initial Assessment Reports on: Component A Component B Component C Component D Component E Characteristics reporting sheets Reports on: Pressure C Pressure D Pressure E Pressure A Pressure B Pressures & Impacts reporting sheets Reports on: Activity A Activity B Activity C Activity D Activity E Socio-economic reporting sheets

Pressures: framework per component PolicyObjectiveAssessment of state Activities affecting GES Targets to achieve GES Measures MSFDGES – Descriptor + characteristic s/ thresholds Criteria e.g. level of pressure Level of impact ->Status/ trend Based on: Data/ monitoring e.g. agriculture, fisheries, offshore developments Reduce impacts/ pressures by XXX On specific activities, spatial measures, etc. WFD Nitrates Directive Shellfish Directive Art. 11 Monitoring Art Access to data Art. 9 GES Art. 9 Decision Art. 8 Assessment Art. 10 Targets Art. 13 Measures

BWD Habitats Birds CFP EQSD Nitrates UWWTD MSFD Policy integration WFD International Conventions Eutrophication

Similarities in eutrophication reporting Topic MSFDWFDNitratesUWWTDHELCOMOSPARBarConBucConEIONET ObjectiveGEnS D5 GEcSNo eutro Pressure input N/P Pressure output N/P ImpactsWater column Seabed Status Targets Measures Common date/information framework Scope for streamlining & consistency (with regional specificities) Based on MRAG/UNEP-WCMC/URS 2013

Summary 1.MSFD provides incentive to improve integration of data and information systems 2.Need efficient and effective reporting 3.Complex - broad scope and multiple policies 4.Success depends on: a.Technical solutions b.Policy integration c.Cooperation at MS, RSC and EU levels

ec.europa.eu/environment/marine Thank you for your attention