1. Marine Strategy Framework Directive:
Update on relevant support projects
European Commission
DG Environment
Marine Environment and Water Industry Unit
17th Marine Strategy Coordination Group meeting, 5 November 2015, Brussels

2. MSFD Action Plans 2014
Type
Grant agreement for an action (call of proposals)
Budget
EUR
Title
Best practices for action plans to develop integrated, regional monitoring programmes, coordinated programmes of measures and addressing data and knowledge gaps in coastal and marine waters
Co-financing
Maximum co-financing rate 80% of eligible costs
Deadline for applications
17 November 2014
Duration
Up to 15 months

3. Baltic Boost
Title
Baltic Sea project to boost regional coherence of marine strategies through
improved data flow, assessments, and knowledge base for development of measures
Coordinator
HELCOM
Partners
11 partners: SYKE, NIVA, Utartu, SLU-Aqua, FOI, LFN, SMNH, TI-OF, DTU Aqua, IOW, ICES
Geographical area
Baltic Sea as defined in the Helsinki Convention, i.e. including the Kattegat
Objectives
The general objective of the project is to enhance regional coherence in the accomplishment of the 2018 reporting under the MSFD by developing joint tools, defining data needs and to set up data arrangements to support indicator-based assessments of the state of and pressures on the Baltic Sea. The project will also take a step towards development of joint environmental targets for pressures affecting seabed habitats by developing a knowledge base and principles for defining such targets. Furthermore, the project will through a number of activities support the development of a joint document on regional coordinated Programmes of Measures (PoMs) for HELCOM EU Member States. The project addresses in particular MSFD Descriptors 1, 6,8 and 11 and the reporting of PoMs under Article 13. 3

4. ActionMed
Title
Action Plans for Integrated Regional Monitoring Programmes, Coordinated Programmes of Measures and Addressing Data and Knowledge Gaps in Mediterranean Sea
Coordinator
Hellenic Centre For Marine Research - HCMR
Partners
8 Partners: UNEP/MAP, CORILA, IEO, USalento, UoA, NIB, ISOTECH Ltd, UTH
Geographical area
The consortium cover most of the Mediterranean EU countries (namely Spain, Italy, Slovenia, Greece, and Cyprus).
Objectives
The main aim is to support and improve the implementation of the MSFD cycle across the Mediterranean focusing on the needs in close collaboration with UNEP/MAP and its Ecosystem Approach. The project will review the initial assessment, the GES definition and the environmental target setting in 2018, with emphasis on biodiversity, will develop integrated, coordinated and financially sustainable regional Action Plans (short, mid-term and long-term and best practices for monitoring programmes (Art. 11), and programmes of measures (Art. 13), test their implementation and finally will support the establishment of an information Management System to fill data gaps for Mediterranean marine waters.

5. EcApRHA
Title
Applying an ecosystem approach to (sub) regional habitat assessments (EcApRHA): addressing gaps in biodiversity indicator development for the OSPAR Region from data to ecosystem assessment
Coordinator
OSPAR Secretariat
Partners
9 partners: BIOCONSULT, CEFAS, CNRS, IEO, JNCC, MNHN, NIOZ, SAHFOS, UNICAEN
Geographical area
It is proposed that this project would cover the full EU MSFD waters that fall within the OSPAR Region (e.g. OSPAR Regions II, III and IV).
Objectives
The actions identified in this proposal will focus on overcoming identified challenges in the development of indicators relating to MSFD (Marine Strategy Framework Directive (56/2008/EU)) Descriptors D1, D4 and D6 and deliver an action plan to OSPAR that will enable monitoring and assessment at the (sub) regional scale, to contribute to the OSPAR 2017 Intermediate Assessment.
The planned actions will address three key issues in the development of habitat related indicators (benthic habitats, pelagic habitats and food webs).

6. MISTIC'SEAS
Title
Macaronesia Islands Standard Indicators and Criteria: Reaching Common Grounds on Monitoring Marine Biodiversity in Macaronesia
Coordinator
Fundo Regional para a Ciência e Tecnologia (FRCT)
Partners
6 partners: DRAM, SRA, DGRM, FB, IEO, DGSCM
Geographical area
The whole Macaronesia marine subregion, as it is considered in the MSFD will be covered by this proposal, since it will address all the marine waters from Madeira, Azores and Canary islands.
Objectives
The main objective of this project is to establish a common road-map for improving an ensuring the coordination for the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD, 2008/56/EC) implementation by the two Member States (Spain and Portugal, through the Governments of Spain, for Canaries, and the Governments of the Azores and Madeira) in the Macaronesia Northeast Atlantic sub-region.

7. Information about on-going contract MSFD and licencing, authorisation, and permitting procedures
Objectives:
Contribute to attainment of GES by 2020?
Cost of these procedures?
Good practices in MS?
Questionnaire sent to MS
Workshop in February 2016
Final deliverable: report mapping MS practices