1 Brian Elliott Senior Project Officer for Environmental Protection European Policy Update. ESA Workshop 25th January 2010

2 The Regional Seas Approach No EU Competence - Partial competence under EC Biocides Directive and proposed EC Biocides Regulation Links to EC Communication "Towards an EU Strategy on Invasive Species” EC Maritime Framework Directive -Regional Seas Focus -“MS shall take the necessary measures to achieve or maintain good environmental status of the marine environment by 2020” Sediments: EC Port Waste Reception Facilities Directive Future: EU Marine Equipment, Port State Control Directives and new work on Alien Species control.

3 North West Europe Stemmed from North Sea Ministerial Conference in 2006 – led by UK Phase 1: Scoping Study – DNV (funded by UK, Belgium, The Netherlands, Germany, Norway and Sweden); Phase 2: Development; –i) Long Distance Shipping – Voluntary Guidance –ii) Short Sea Shipping – Risk Assessment Phase 3: Implementation.

4 “General Guidance on the Voluntary Interim Application of the D1 Ballast Water Exchange Standard in the North- East Atlantic and Baltic Sea” (published in 2008); –Trans-Atlantic and West African Coast Taken up by HELCOM (now covers 19 countries) “General Guidance on the Voluntary Interim Application of the D1 Ballast Water Exchange Standard by vessels leaving the Baltic Sea and transiting through the North- East Atlantic to other destinations” (published in 2009) Co-ordinated Notice to Shipping/Instructions to Surveyors North West Europe

Next Steps – Ships operating within the OSPAR Region 1)Simplification of risk; - Bioregion approach 2)Prioritisation to evaluate risk; - Top Ten species and set Principles 5 Species 1Species 2Species 3Risk XXX None XXO Low XOX Medium XOO High OOX OXO Medium OXX High OOO

3). Selection of Ports (2 to 3 per country); 4). Identification of species distribution; 5). Risk Identification; 6). Development of appropriate management measures - no effect on competition (disadvantageous to ships on that route); 7). Monitoring for new species (Top Ten)/algal blooms from existing surveys, revising lists regularly; - Problems - algal blooms and sudden appearance of a new non- indigenous species - may contribute to the spread of non-indigenous organisms not selected for inclusion in the model, - vessel discharges ballast water outside the discharge port 6

8). Submitted to OSPAR Biodiversity meeting in Bonn 14 th June 2010; 9). Identification of Species and ports ongoing– proposals spring by 2011; 10). North East Atlantic to Baltic Sea and visa versa (agreed in principle by HELCOM). 11). Link to BWM Convention Exemptions and BW Discharge Areas 7

Mediterranean Sea Globallast Partnerships route – Croatia and Turkey Co-ordinated by Barcelona Convention through REMPEC Own Interim Guidelines Guidelines for ships entering from/going to the NE Atlantic – HELCOM and the Black Sea (OSPAR model) Port Baseline surveys for future risk assessment Database of species – Biological monitoring Common approaches – legislation, enforcement Training 8

Harmonised voluntary interim regime for ballast water exchange in the Mediterranean no 200m/200nm, 50nm from the coastline Proposed for 2011 D1 outside the area 9

GENERAL GUIDANCE ON THE VOLUNTARY INTERIM APPLICATION OF THE D1 BALLAST WATER EXCHANGE STANDARD BY VESSELS OPERATING BETWEEN THE MEDITERRANEAN SEA AND THE NORTH EAST ATLANTIC AND / OR THE BALTIC SEA Proposed by EMSA Links the existing voluntary Guidelines Asks vessels to exchange as soon as they leave or before they enter the Mediterranean following the D1 Standard no matter where they are going. Small exemption for vessels going between Spanish ports and Spain and Portugal through the entrance to the Mediterranean. Agreed by all 4 Regional Seas Organisations – expected to come into force in early 2011 through a circular by IMO. 10

Other Issues EMSA review of the Ballast Water Risk Assessment Methodologies and the different ballast water management measures available to the Member States and the Regional Seas Conventions; EMSA/DG Environment/DG MOVE joint briefing note on the relationship between approval for ballast water technologies that use active substances under the Biocides Directive, the proposed Biocides Regulation and the Ballast Water Management Convention’s Guidelines; Sampling or Enforcement debate at BLG 15 – possible Correspondence Group afterwards for BLG 16; Increased awareness of Non-Indigenous species in the EC; Possible Ratification of the BWM Conference by 2013.

12 Thank you Ballast water sampling with thanks to Mahle and GoConsult