MSFD – WFD assessment European Commission DG Environment Marine Environment and Water Industry Unit October 2013

Legal requirement linking assessments Article 3.1.b MSFD: “coastal waters as defined by Directive 2000/60/EC, their seabed and their subsoil, in so far as particular aspects of the environmental status of the marine environment are not already addressed through that Directive or other Community legislation”

WFD CIS work programme 2013-2015 1. Follow-up of the intercalibration exercise, mainly concerning coastal and transitional waters, but also lakes, large rivers and, to a lesser extent, rivers linking the exercise to the assessment methods for the marine environment (in particular for descriptors 5, 6, and 7) 2. Improving assessment coherence: a) Eutrophication assessment and nutrient standards including assessment and coherence with descriptor 5 for “good environmental status” and the assessment of eutrophic waters under the Urban Waste Water and Nitrates Directives; b) Hydromorphological parameters including assessment and coherence with descriptor 6 and 7 for “good environmental status”; c) Invasive alien species (IAS) including the assessment and coherence with descriptor 2 “non-indigenous species” for “good environmental status.

MSFD Monitoring Recommendation Area Part of MSFD 'marine waters' GES descriptors that could be sufficiently covered by monitoring requirements under other EU law GES descriptors for which there is partial coverage by monitoring requirements under other EU law GES descriptors insufficiently covered by monitoring requirements under other EU law 1 Coastal waters (WFD) D5, D8, D9 D1, D2, D3, D4, D6, D7 D10, D11 2 Territorial waters D8, D9 D1, D3, D4, D6 D2, D5, D7, D10, D11 3 EEZ or similar designation D3 D1, D4, D6, D9 D2, D5, D7, D8, D10, D11 4 Continental shelf beyond EEZ (or territorial waters) – seabed and subsoil only (relevance to seabed/subsoil to be assessed)

WFD – MSFD assessment links Area Part of MSFD 'marine waters' GES descriptors sufficiently (?) covered by WFD GES descriptors which could use WFD assessment 1 Coastal waters (WFD) D5, D8, D9 D6, D7 2 Territorial waters D8, D9 D5, D7 3 EEZ or similar designation D5, D6, D7, D8 4 Continental shelf beyond EEZ (or territorial waters) – seabed and subsoil only (relevance to seabed/subsoil to be assessed)

Questions for discussion (in coastal waters) What assessment of D5, D6, D7 is not covered in coastal waters? How can the WFD be used – which quality elements can be used? How can the intercalibration results be linked to the MSFD assessment in coastal waters? Question of scale: Water bodies vs. marine (sub-)regions

Headline Question for eutrophication Are the coastal and marine waters “eutrophic”? The answer to this question must be the same independent on the (sound) assessment method used or the Directive applied.

Eutrophication status of the Baltic Sea 2007-2011 Coastal = WFD Offshore=HELCOM

Questions for meeting Discussion on how to improve linking WFD, Regional Sea Conventions, MSFD assessments, using eutrophication as example How to streamline, make best use of works done and experience gained in both processes Do we need joint guidance Joint coastal and marine group: facilitate the intercalibration process and link up with RSC process Joint WG GES and ECOSTAT meetings