‘Work of the EEA aimed at streamlining marine assessment processes’ EMMA meeting 09.10.03 ‘Work of the EEA aimed at streamlining marine assessment processes’ http://www.eea.eu.int or http://www.eionet.eu.int

EEA member and participating countries

The EEA's Mission ... is to deliver timely, targeted, relevant and reliable information to policy-makers and the public for the development and implementation of sound environmental policies in the European Union and other EEA member countries. Coastal and marine environment (Regulation amendment 1999)

European regional seas

Objectives of the Inter Regional Forum (IRF) since 1995 To facilitate the exchange and possible integration of existing data and information produced by regional Marine Conventions/Action Plans with the EEA and ETCs To improve working relations and task sharing to avoid duplication of work All IRF reports at http://eea.eionet.eu.int:8980/Public/irc/eionet-circle/irf/library

Fields of cooperation (I) Identification of common research priorities for the regional conventions (i.e. ecosystem properties, species and habitats, transport pathways, processes and biological effects of contaminants) and subsequent submission to DGXII to be taken into account for the 5th FP => BEEP project Technical workshops on: Combined Effects of contaminants (organised by AMAP) Transport models (organised by AMAP) How remote sensing data could offer solutions to meta data requirements of Regional Conventions (organised by JRC, Ispra) REPORTING: a matrix table on “Reporting requirements and linkages to political agendas” was regarded a instrument in the process of harmonisation and synchronisation of assessment products. Problem of different time scales.

Fields of cooperation (II) ASSESSMENT: Geographic Information Systems, Indicators, Statistical tools were identified as relevant tools and analysed. Ad-hoc working groups were set-up to start harmonising assessment products INDICATORS: Common issues and related DPSIR indicators were identified by a working group on indicators (lead EEA). A joint workshop on indicators with countries in 2001 resulted in a set of recommendations on water quality indicators DATA EXCHANGE: Availability, Access/Ownership and Management were analysed by a working group (lead OSPAR) and resulted in a set of recommendations GIS: EUMARIS, a prototype of a marine GIS focussing on Eutrophication was developed by ETC/MCE. Common use and application of a marine GIS were analysed by a working group on GIS (lead ETC/MCE). The Kiev report formed a test case for common GIS application.

Joint Assessments Published: Planned: Joint EEA – UNEP/MAP report on Mediterranean Sea, published 1999 Joint Arctic Report with UNEP-Grid Arendal and AMAP, to be published in 2003 Planned: Joint Black Sea report Joint Mediterranean Sea Report

Streamlining indicators (EEA with MC, EEA with Fisheries Organisations) 3 testing reports based on OSPAR data (Technical Reports 84, 85, 86) IRF workshop on marine indicators with EIONET and Marine Conventions, 2001, Ispra Scoping study on fisheries and aquaculture indicators (Technical Report 87) IRF workshop on fisheries indicators with Fisheries organisations, 2002, Brussels Water core set, fisheries core set – review 2003 Water core set (20 marine out of 46) Fisheries core set (9 marine, 7 socio-economic) Indicator graphics: 1. Europe, 2. by regional sea

Streamlining dataflow Big ETC questionnaire in 1999 – basis for indicator testing and MARINEBASE Letter of EEA in 2000 to EIONET ‘permission of use of Convention data’ OSPAR: 10 permissions out of 14 HELCOM: 7 permissions out of 8 UNEP/MAP: 3 permissions out of 5 Change of OSPAR data policy in 2002 Joint meeting EEA + UNEP-MAP countries, 2000 Joint workplan, MoU EEA/BSC, 2003 Priority dataflow t/c/m start October 2002 Reporting guidelines t/c/m = Technical Report 97 Guidelines QA = Technical Report 98 Further work required: Harmonisation of different MC reporting guidelines, EEA guidelines, WFD guidance, etc.

Develop jointly spatial assessment EMARIS prototype (IRF working group on GIS) EUNIS habitat mapping: EUNIS marine habitat classification OSPAR done, UNEP/MAP 2003, HELCOM 2004?, BSC 2005? EUNIS marine habitat mapping: dot maps of priority habitats EUNIS marine habitat mapping: holistic maps based on physical descriptors Development of joint GIS based approach: meetings (MC, ICES, EEA) in Oct 2002, July 2003, Oct. 2003 WFD typology – link to EUNIS and biodiversity not established yet

Streamlining activities of MC + EEA with WFD Internal EEA report on overlap between MC monitoring and WFD EEA development of biological and hydromorphological indicators and related dataflow – JRC lead intercalibration exercise WFD reporting working group – EEA chair of assessment subgroup

Conclusions on EEA streamlining activities Streamlining with international organisations within IRF is/was 1st step, but achievements not 100% Streamlining at country level is 2nd step to reach/implement an agreed procedure (EMMA) Streamlining for issues eutrophication, hazardous substances, oil: now ready for country level (2nd step) Streamlining for issues biodiversity (EUNIS habitat joint group meeting 20 October) and fishing impact (joint group on fisheries): at 1st step, international level