Revision of MSFD Decision 2010/477/EU - overview 17th meeting of MSCG, 05 November 2015, Brussels Revision of MSFD Decision 2010/477/EU - overview European Commission DG Environment Marine Environment and Water Industry Unit

Main aims of a revised Decision & Annex III Simpler; Clearer; Introducing minimum requirements (to be enhanced by regions and MS, if necessary); Self-explanatory; Coherent with other EU legislation; Coherent with regional assessment methods (where EU methods do not exist); Include a clear and minimum list of elements and/or parameters per descriptor (e.g. specified lists of contaminants, species, litter types, etc.).

Cross-cutting issues paper Sets out overall framework for Art. 8 and 9 Pressure-impact-state concepts Need for inter-relationship: how GES is determined and how it is assessed Linking Art. 8 and 9 to Annex I and Annex III – overall architecture Relationship of Art. 9(3) Decision to Art. 9(1) determination – EU and (sub)regional aspects Proposed set of assessment elements (‘pizza and satellites’) Improved integration across descriptors – linking state-based descriptors (D1 habitats-D6-D7), linking impacts from pressures to state assessments

Proposal for revision of Annex III Provides a clear link to Annex I descriptors More clearly relates to Article 8 assessment needs: Art. 8(1a) – Table 1 Art. 8(1b) – Table 2a, 2b Art. 8(1c) – Table 2b Content of old Tables 1 and 2 more clearly distinguished, based on underlying philosophy of Cross-Cutting Issues paper (GES_14-2015-07) Needs to be fully compatible with a (revised) GES Decision content may be adjusted as revised Decision develops

Decision review - status Criteria Indicators (primary + secondary) Indicators (secondary) 2010 Decision 29 56 3 (3.1.2, 3.2.2, 3.3.4) 2014-15 technical review Unchanged 16 Changed 10 Deleted 3 (1.4, 1.7, 4.2) Added 2 D1 species group diversity D3 size distribution - pressure Total = 28 Unchanged 23 Changed 24 Deleted 9 (1.3.2, 1.5.2, 1.6.3, 1.7.1, 2.2.1, 3.3.2, 6.1.1, 9.1.2, 10.1.3) Added 13 For D1 species group diversity For D2.1 new introductions For D3.3 selectivity pattern (+3) For D3.3 size distribution - state For D3.3 genetic effects (+1) For D5.2 plankton shifts For D5.3 benthic invertebrates For D6.1 extent of pressure For D8.2 acute pollution impacts Total = 56 (+4) 9 (3.1.2, 3.2.2 5.1.2, 5.2.2, 5.2.3, 5.2.4, 5.2.5, 5.3.1, 5.3.3) 2016 proposal Delete all Indicators renamed criteria Total = ca 54 ca 17 2010 Decision 29 criteria 56 indicators (3 secondary indicators 3.1.2, 3.2.2, 3.3.4) 2014-15 Technical review Proposed deletions: For D3, technical review has identified 4 additional indicators under criterion 3.3 (in addition to 3 of current 4) – with intention to identify three out of the 7 for operational use. Proposal for revision of the Decision would merge most criteria and indicators, effectively leading to elimination of the majority of the current criteria and the current indicators being renamed as the criteria. For D1 the current criteria would be retained, equated to Habitats Directive criteria, and the current indicators could be used under Art 9.1 as ‘scientific indicators’ – needs further consideration). An increased number of indicators could be treated as secondary indicators. Initial considerations suggest this could be 17 out of the 54, leaving 37 as primary criteria.

General principles for new Decision Combine criteria/indicators Possibility of primary and secondary criteria Use available EU standards, where appropriate If not available, MS may use or develop a suitable international standard (for the (sub)region, e.g. via RSC) EU lists (e.g. hazardous substances) => need deselection (justify why not using) Some topics (e.g. biodiversity) need to be specified (sub)regionally (ecological variation) Detail added (e.g. on methodological standards) to provide clarity Quality thresholds for GES criteria (indicators) should in principle represent an 'acceptable deviation' from reference state (see CCI section 5.7)

Revised Decision: outline needs 28/02/2019 Revised Decision: outline needs Assessments of pressures for Art.8(1b) D5 D8, 9 D10 D11 D2 D3 D6 D6,7 - Nutrients Contam-inants Litter Sound, other energy NIS Fishing/ by-catch Physical damage Physical loss Other P S Distribution, extent, (frequency) and intensity/quantity of pressure Assessments of state for Article 8(1a) D1, D3 Species groups Distribution, population size, condition, habitat Extent (proportion, distribution), nature and intensity of impacts per species group or per species D1 Pelagic habitats Condition Extent (area, volume), nature and intensity of impact per habitat group D1, D6 Benthic habitats Extent, condition Extent (area), nature and intensity of impact per habitat group or per habitat D1, D4 Ecosystems Structure, function Extent and nature of impact per ecosystem Framework for revised Decision links directly with elements of Annex III and with needs of Art. 8.1a and 1b. Text relating to pressures, impacts and state sets out what the criteria need to address – but not all parameters are needed for every criterion.

Decision outline Primary criterion Secondary criterion Assessments of pressures for Article 8(1b) D5 D8, D9 D10 D11 D2 D3 D6 D6, D7 - Nutrients Contam-inants Litter Sound, other energy NIS Fishing/ by-catch Physical damage Physical loss Other P S 5.1.1 5.1.2 8.1.1 8.1.2 9.1.1 10.1.1 10.1.2 10.1.3 11.1.1 11.2.1 2.1.1 2.1.2 3.1.1 3.1.2 3.3.2 6.1.3 6.1.4 Assessments of state for Article 8(1a) D1 Species groups 1.1 1.2 1.3 Habitat Diversity 8.2.1 8.2.2 10.2.1 ? 2.2.1 3.2.1 3.2.2 3.3.1 3.3.3By-catch 6.1.2 7.2.2 Pelagic habitat groups 1.5 1.6 5.2.1 5.2.2 5.2.4 5.2.5 5.3.2 7.1.1 Benthic habitat groups 1.4 5.3.2 5.2.3 5.3.1 5.3.3 3.2.1 3.2.2 3.3.1 3.3.3 6.2.1 6.2.2 6.2.3 6.2.4 6.1.5 7.2.1 D4 Eco-systems 4.1.1 4.2.1 4.3.1 5.2.1 5.2.2 Decision outline Primary criterion Secondary criterion 28/02/2019 See spreadsheet for detail of each criterion. Black numbers = primary criteria, Blue smaller numbers = secondary criteria. Assessments under Art 8.1b address each pressure and its impacts (columns) on mobile species, pelagic or benthic habitats (which ones depend on nature of the pressure). Assessments under Art 8.1a address the different ecosystem elements (rows) using the state criteria (green column). These assessments should reflect the collective impacts upon them from all relevant pressures and so can draw upon the outcomes of the pressure-based assessments if the impacts are assessed in a suitable way (i.e. per species/habitat/group).

Summary of proposal Decision ‘indicators’ become ‘criteria’ Reduction in overall number needed (86 -> ca 54) More criteria treated as secondary (possibly 35 primary, 19 secondary) – to be used when needed (e.g. due to risk, regional characteristics) Decision structured to follow Art. 8.1 (a, b) and Annex III (Tables 1 and 2a) structures Where further detail per criterion cannot yet be given (on elements, parameters, thresholds, aggregation, scales, etc), these should be defined at (sub)regional level to ensure consistency.