1. 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

2. 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.).

3. 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

4. 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_ )
Needs to be fully compatible with a (revised) GES Decision
content may be adjusted as revised Decision develops

5. Decision review - status
Criteria
Indicators
(primary + secondary)
Indicators (secondary)
2010 Decision 29 56 3
(3.1.2, 3.2.2, 3.3.4)
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, )
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)
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.

6. 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)

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.

8. 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
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
By-catch
6.1.2
7.2.2
Pelagic habitat groups
1.5
1.6
7.1.1
Benthic habitat groups
1.4
5.3.2
5.2.3
5.3.1
5.3.3
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).

9. 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.