Achieve good environmental status of the EU’s marine waters by 2021 Objective Achieve good environmental status of the EU’s marine waters by 2021 No definition at EU level but generic descriptors will be developed Definition will have to emerge from the work at regional level The Commission will approve definitions Now, what is the overall objective in the Strategy and the proposed directive? (read). This complements the 2015 objectives of the Water Framework Directive which applies to the coastal parts of the saltwater domain. « Good environmental status » is the emblematic concept that will need to be filled in operationally. It is not an unattainable Holy Grail but something that is in human powers to achieve. We will not prescribe in all detail what this will be but we will develop generic descriptors, the dimensions, on which to judge it. The regional level will be important for formulating the expression of good environmental status. The Commission will approve the definition on the basis of MS proposals.

Approach Common principles for problems shared by the different regions EU covering parts of all regional seas around Europe Many problems shared in these seas Transboundary nature of most threats and human activities A regionalised approach based on Marine Regions to capture specific problems Coherence and integration instead of sectoral approach Addressing regional specificities Using as much as possible existing legal and regional institutional instruments From the objectives one can see that the approach carefully tries to balance a common European approach wiht subsidiarity. We will have common principles for shared problems and a regionalised approach for the specific needs of those regions.

Good environmental status MFD Proposal: Art. 8 (1): Member States shall … determine… a set of characteristics for good environmental status … on the basis of generic qualitative descriptors … MFD Proposal: Art. 8 (3): The Commission … shall … lay down … generic qualitative descriptors, detailed criteria and standards for the recognition of good environmental status MFD Proposal Art. 11: The Commission shall assess whether … the elements … constitute a framework which meets the requirements of this Directive.

Good environmental status Annex II Characteristics Physical and chemical features Habitat types Biological elements Other features Pressures and impacts Physical Chemical contamination Biological

Connections ! First order objective (GES as set?) [Second order objective] Targets and indicators ! Coherence, coverage ~ ecosystem approach ! Characteristics/criteria of Annex III