Dilemma of Boundaries in the Implementation of the Marine Strategy Framework Directive Finnish Experiences from the Public Consultations Juha-Markku Leppänen Marine Research Centre Finnish Environment Institute

Boundaries uniting and separating Marine Regions to unite Legal EEZ and territorial boundaries to separate Legal Directive boundaries to be crossed Administrational boundaries – “Centre for Economic Development, Transport and the Environment” Boundaries between administrational sectors and interest groups Åland Island as the autonomous region The implementation of the EU Marine Strategy Framework Directive is influenced by several boundaries: uniting and separating boundaries, natural and man made boundaries, legal, sector, interest group, and mental boundaries. The MSFD aims to unite Member States inside the boundaries of marine regions by emphasizing the importance to coordinate implementation of the national marine strategies - but the implementation recognises the national borders. The other Directives aiming at protecting the European waters and nature, especially the WFD, despite of the requirements of the MSFD to take into account the WFD, are also creating borders. E.g. in Finland, one marine strategy will be made while the WFD recognises several river basin management plans.

Implementation of the MSFD in Finland Main responsibility: the Ministry of Environment in cooperation with the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry and the Ministry of Traffic and Communication; To be adopted by the Council of the State; Implementation assisted by the Centres for Economic Development, Transport and the Environment located at coastal areas and governmental research institutes; Basically same administrational structures as created for the WFD to be used; Specific Coordination and Expert Groups to carry out the practical work Åland Island, as the autonomous region, makes its own marine strategy, which will be a part of the Finnish one

Public Consultation In “Main Finland” between 16 April and 15 May In Finnish and Swedish Åland Island organized its own regional consultation Divided into the countrywide consultation and the regional ones The Ministry of Environment requested opinions of other ministries, governmental institutions and countrywide stakeholder The Centres for Economic Development, Transport and the Environment took care of the consultation in their districts directed mainly to municipalities and local stakeholders The consultation document was publicly available in the Internet for anyone to comment

Dilemma of boundaries The importance of a marine strategy was not questioned! Boundaries between the Directives Many comments were related to the significant water management issues of the WFD The added value of the MSFD in the coastal area was questioned Administrative boundaries Cooperation within national administrational sectors still ambiguous Regional state administrative bodies are quite independent Boundaries between the sectors The proposed marine strategy either too weak or too ambitious Geographic boundaries Need for transboundary coordination not understood Coastal-open sea boundary confusing One marine strategy vs. river basins difficult Local problems vs. GES Spatial scope

Summary The responses received from ministries, central organisations and stakeholders mainly well structured. The general public touched mainly very local and even personal topics and responses were “unstructured”. Recommendations Public consultations for the MSFD and the WFD should be carried out at the same time. Different stakeholders should be better take into account when preparing the consultation material e.g. for general public a structured electronic questionnaire should be developed. “Advertisement” needed