1. Sif Johansson Marine unit, DG Environment
Marine Strategy Framework Directive: implementation process at EU level
Dear EMECO colleagues,
I would have liked to participate to share information on the outlook for the Marine Strategy Framework Directive work ahead. Work is however so busy at the moment that I couldn’t justify the trip.
Here’s some information you may find useful.
Sif Johansson Marine unit, DG Environment

2. Marine Strategies - Implementation milestones
By 15 July 2012:
Description and assessment of current environmental status, including the environmental impact of human activities
Determination of good environmental status
Establishment of environmental targets and associated indicators
By 15 July 2014:
Monitoring programme
As a Framework Directive, the Marine Strategy Framework Directive foresees a number of elements that Member States have to elaborate to achieve ‘good environmental status’ and the associated objectives of the Directive.
First and foremost in this time period, three important deliverables will set the scene of their future marine strategies: (a) the initial assessment; (b) the operational objectives determining ‘good environmental status’; (c) the associated environmental targets and indicators. By two years later, MS should also have set up their monitoring programmes that cover the information needs of their strategies comprehensively.

3. Art. 8, 9, 10 MSFD
Generally speaking, the broad notion of ‘indicators’ has different functions under the MSFD:
The purely descriptive and factual (what is current status)
the normative (what is the status vs. how it should be)
the direction (if we are not in good status, are we moving in the right direction as regards e.g. the pressures on the status)

4. Marine Strategies - Implementation milestones
Marine Strategies will culminate with:
Programme of measures towards good environmental status – by 2015
Achieve Good Environmental Status – by 2020
In 2015, the measures that are necessary to achieve good environmental status should be in place in a programme.
- A lot of MS work will be undertaken in the context of the ongoing protection of their marine waters in their basins, i.e. in the ‘regional sea conventions’
Provisions on conditionality (exceptions etc.) can be used and the strategy elements should be reviewed periodically to allow for adaptive management as new information and insights arise: the MSFD foresees a 6-yearly review of each of the strategy elements
Data and information (e.g. from the monitoring programmes) will be shared with EC and EEA for the performance of their tasks; such data and information sharing arrangements could also provide benefits to others.

5. Some key concepts: Regional approach, specific to each sea basin
Building upon existing activities developed in the framework of regional seas conventions
Adaptive management, with regular review (every 6 years)
Art. 19 specific provisions on data to EEA

6. INITIAL STRUCTURE (2009-2010) COM MS RSC, … Input to WG
The EU-level working system now in place to promote the implementation of the MSFD consists of:
The official committee created by the MSFD;
A more open and inclusive work structure consisting of Marine Directors (whose first meeting was last Friday 29 May), the Marine Strategy Coordination Group where not only MS but also stakeholder organisations can participate; a limited number of working groups who will work on the issues highlighted in this presentation, namely the normative ‘criteria and methodological standards’ for good environmental status and the information exchange and infrastructure.
COM MS
RSC, …
Input to WG
INITIAL STRUCTURE ( )

7. EU Commission adoption of the GES 15 July 2010
2009
1st WG Economic and Social Assessment (ESA)
30 Oct
2nd WG Good Environmental Status (GES)
16 Nov
Marine Strategy Coordination Group
23 Nov
Committee
24 Nov
Marine Directors
30 Nov – 1 Dec
Preliminary 2010
2nd WG Economic and Social Assessment (ESA)
early March
3rd WG Good Environmental Status (GES)
mid-March
2nd WG Data, Information and Knowledge Exchange (DIKE)
spring
GES documents to the EU Parliament by early April 2010
EU Commission adoption of the GES 15 July 2010

8. Good luck !
- Gert Verreet, 1 June 2009