1. European Environment Agency
Developing a shared evidence base and outline for multiple MSFD-relevant assessments
Trine Christiansen,

2. The MSFD House Model
Art. 20.3b
Regional
Assessments
Art. 8

3. Timeline Activity 2017 2018 2019 2020 HELCOM HOLAS II OSPAR IA
OSPAR IA
UNEP/MAP
MSFD Art. 8 (MS)
MSFD Art 20.3b (EC in coordination with EEA, RSCs, ICES, GFCM)
Other related products
WFD reporting
HD Art. 17 reporting

4. GES analytical framework: state, pressures and impacts
Link is missing to 8.1c: human activities

5. The proposed outline for art 8 assessments
State (art 8.1a)
Pressures (art 8.1b)
Human activities (art 8.1c )
Seabed habitats
Pelagic habitats
Fish
Turtles
Mammals
Seabirds and waterbirds
Marine food webs and ecosystems
Physical loss and damage to the seafloor, including hydrological changes
Extraction of fish and shellfish
Introduction of non-indigenous species
Eutrophication
Contamination
Marine litter
Underwater noise and other forms of energy
Climate change
Land-based activities
Extraction of living resources
Production of living resources
Extraction of non-living resources and disposal of waste
Transport and shipbuilding
Tourism and recreation
Man-made structures
Energy production – offshore renewables
Energy production- oil and gas
Research and surveys
Military
Socio-economic analysis

6. Feedback from MS: overall
The proposed structure covers the relevant Art. 8 elements. It should however be recognised that the building blocks for many headlines will not be available in 2019;
We consider the proposal in Table 1 as applicable but also note that there are some differences which may require discussion in HELCOM;
The outline should be coherent with the structure of revised Annex III;
Reflection on the structure of the World Ocean Assessment, as it is interesting, and it would be interesting in a medium term to ensure coherence of the two assessments;

7. Response to overall comments
Intention is to align with revised annex III;
Proposal is aligned to current draft, but changes can still occur, e.g. on special habitats
UN regular process has devised an outline for a DPSIR assessment developed by scientific experts. The UN outline is not aligned by MSFD. Structured by:
Ecosystem services
Human activities
Biological diversity
Assessment is a scientific review

8. Feedback on comments on pressures
The proposed structure for pressures is arranged by descriptors rather than Annex III. The revised annex III and Decision will link to descriptors, and will in this way provide detail on further breakdown;
Radionuclide pollution is part of chemicals;
Climate change is not part of the MSFD. Hence it will not be part of Art 8, but could be seen as an important context for art 20.3b assessment.

9. Feedback on human activities
We very much support that the discussion on human activities is taken forward in the context of the MSFD CIS.
Activities need to be aligned to MSPD. EEA has developed a first draft cross-walk between MSFD and MSPD.

10. Many comments related to reporting
Clarity needed on relation between national and regional assessments
Common understanding needed for how national and regional level link up and how MS use the regional level for their Art. 8 MSFD assessments/reporting
State of play of RSC indicators: what will be available for 2018?

11. WG-GES
Approaches to GES assessments are described in cross-cutting paper;
Relation between regional and national assessment
Aggregation to GES assessment within each ‘pizza slice’ and each ‘satellite’?
An integrated assessment framework that combines across descriptors.
At WG-GES it was agreed to support the development of guidelines for GES assessments.

12. Way forward
Use the proposed art 8 structure as a basis for organising 2018 reporting (adjusted to minor changes from Decision and Annex III revisions);
Get further guidance on list of human activities from WG-GES and ESA.
Use the GES assessment guidance to develop the content and outcomes within each chapter; will be used to support the development of reporting sheets

13. Timeline for reporting
Meeting
What?
Spring 2016
DIKE
Presentation of general concept and direction
GES
Assessment guidance – link to GES cross-cutting paper and revised Decision
Autumn 2016
Presentation of draft reporting sheets
Spring 2017
MSCG
Sign off reporting sheets
Autumn 2017
Development of IT tools
Winter 17/18 MS
Test and update tools
April 2018
Technical system ready
Oct 2018
Receive Art 8, 9, 10 reports

14. Art 20.3b State of the environment assessment
Geographical perspective
Building blocks of MSFD infobase EC
Holas II
OSPAR IA
UNEP/MAP Ecap
Black Sea
Regional fisheries
RSC and fisheries assesments
Art 8, 9, 10, 11, 13
EEA indicators and SoES
Outputs from research projects
MSFD information base
EEA
EEA is compiling an overview of the MSFD information base
EEA will support EC in developing an EU SoE assessment

15. EEA is mapping regional and EU indicators
Annex III element
Name of indicator
MSFD descriptor
(DPSIR) components
RSC/Org
in roof Report?
Regions covered
Next publi-cation year
Section of SoES 2015
Birds
B-3: Marine bird breeding success/failure
D1 - Biological diversity
State
OSPAR
Yes
regions I (partial), II, III, IV
Dec 2015
B-1: Marine bird abundance
D1 - Biological diversity; D4 - Marine food webs
in Section 3.7
Abundance of waterbirds in the breeding season
HELCOM NA
tbc
Abundance of waterbirds in the wintering season
White-tailed eagle productivity
D1 - Biological diversity; D4 - Marine food webs; D8 - Contaminants

16. Purpose of indicator mapping
All RSC have been asked to contribute; UNEP/MAP has recently provided overview of indicators. Overview is being reviewed by secretariats
Mapping is being performed against proposed outline to understand what new information will be available compared to 2015, and what a report based on this can eventually look like.
Mapping is being done to understand what regional assessments will be available and when
Challenge to understand how assessments performed under other EU directives can be brought in.
Aim is to use overview to also provide clear structure and guidance for art 8 reporting.