1. Technical Group on Marine Litter on behalf of TG Marine Litter
MSFD
Technical Group on Marine Litter
Workplan and progress
Georg Hanke, JRC D2
on behalf of TG Marine Litter
MSFD GES, Brussels

2. TG Marine Litter - Organisation
Call for confirmation of delegates (now 73)
Delegates from all EU coastal MS included
DG ENV, DG MARE, DG GROW included
OSPAR, HELCOM, MAP, BSC secretariate delegates included
Wiki on-line exchange
platform is operational
Website in preparation

3. TG Marine Litter annual meeting
Gdansk, Poland
33 participants
14 EU MS + RSCs, NGOs
Information exchange and update
Discussions on work process and scope
Decisions on activities and timelines (mandate)
Meeting report is available on CIRCABC

4. Research on Marine Litter
Overview
JRC list of projects on marine litter (64) including EU and national funded (to be completed, deadline end September)
TG Marine Litter is aware of/linked to most ongoing projects
Additional funding opportunities are upcoming
High publication rate
Coordination and enhanced
knowledge extraction/transfer
are desirable

5. Marine Litter Baselines
Activity kick-off Workshop
The setting of marine litter baselines requires:
Data with sufficient spatial coverage and resolution
Data with sufficient temporal coverage (both in duration and frequency)
Data with sufficient “fit-for-purpose” quality

6. Marine Litter Baselines
Variables in baseline setting
Timing of baselines setting (from/to, including averaging, if appropriate)
Spatial aggregation of data
Formulas for baseline calculation

7. Marine Litter Baselines
Steps in baseline setting
Creating ML data availability overview
Identification of priority test scenario(s)
Collection of data for scenario testing
Identification of options for baseline calculations
Testing of scenarios with different time coverage/spatial aggregation.
Discussion of outcome and identification of common principles for baseline setting
Text from Baseline concepts discussion paper

8. Marine Litter Baselines
Set-up of harmonized EU Beach litter database at JRC
Data from MS (4 still missing) and NGOs/projects (separately)
Total: 369 beaches, 3640 MS surveys
Increasing beach numbers, 2016 survey decline

9. Marine Litter Baselines
Surveys/Country

10. Top Litter Items (input to EU Plastics Strategy)
Report drafting
(update of 2016 JRC )
Compilation of available reports
Testing of methodologies on
EU beach litter dataset
Consideration of risk ranking
Progress
Report outline shared with TG ML
Draft report envisaged for
begin October 2017

11. Litter Category Master List
D10 criteria elements
Incompatibilities in existing monitoring data
Agreement by RSCs to collaborate
TG Marine Litter is updating list
Need to ensure upward compatibility
Mechanism for introducing new items needed
Need to ensure link with PoMs
Examples of critical item categories
Material:
TrashCode:
TrashCodeDescription
TGML code
Plastic
PL01
Bottle caps and lids
G20-G24
PL02
Bottles < 2 L
G6/G8-G9/G11-G13
PL03
Bottles, drums, jerrycans and buckets > 2 L
G15-G16/G65
PL04
Knives, forks, spoons, straws, stirrers, (cutlery)
G34-G35

12. Monitoring guidance update
Review of monitoring method guidance for all D10 criteria needed
advances in science and harmonization
Will require active collaboration
Beach Litter
Floating Marine Macro Litter
Seafloor Litter: envisaged 2018
scientific workshop
Microplastic: collaboration with JPI Ocean
Litter effects: through research projects

13. Marine Litter Data Data availability overview in TG Marine Litter
Data are hosted (scattered) in national, project and regional databases
EMODNET (DG MARE)
Database and mapping of Litter distribution
Joint databases highlight data quality/compatibility issues
Baselines Beach Litter database example

14. Thresholds for Marine Litter
Roadmap
Discussion paper prepared by TG ML chairs (October 2017)
Preparatory discussion in TG Marine Litter (wiki)
dedicated working meeting in Berlin, Germany (Workshop in 2018, if needed)
Consideration of risk assessment and identification of harm
(link to TG ML Harm report)
Providing recommendations on ML
threshold setting to GES (2018)

15. Riverine Litter Rivers recognized as one major input pathway
TG Marine Litter report on monitoring options
JRC RIMMEL project
- 53 rivers observation network, 1 year
duration
- 20 items/h average across all observations
Link to WFD established (discussions in WG Chemicals and ECOSTAT)
2016 conference on litter in freshwater
OSPAR workshop recommendation for
activity at EU level

16. Measures against Marine Litter
MS have reported Program of Measures
Regional Action Plans (OSPAR, HELCOM, MAP, BSC (in prep)) provide regional measures
Discussion on further coordination need is ongoing in TG ML
Need to link with monitoring set-up
Link with TG ML report on
Litter sources

17. Marine Litter beyond EU
International Marine Litter commitments
Rio+20, G7/20, UN SDG 14
EMBLAS II project (DG NEAR) Black Sea (Ukraine, Russia, Georgia) supported by JRC
TG Marine Litter for information exchange and providing EU harmonized approaches for use beyond EU

18. Outlook Still increasing attention on Marine Litter
Need of scientific sound information to underpin policy actions
High expectations (work items and timing)
Continuous need for collaboration and dedication

19. Thanks for your attention!