Deltares and the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MFSD)

Deltares and other research institutes are working together, commissioned by the Dutch Government, to implement the Marine Strategy Framework Directive. An assessment and monitoring programme will be drawn up as well as a programme of measures.

Development Marine Strategy Framework Directive

A thematic strategy for the protection and conservation of the marine environment has been developed as part of the EU Sixth Environmental Action Plan (2002) which included a Marine Strategy Framework Directive that came into force on 15 July 2008. The aim of the directive is to support the integration of environmental concerns into all relevant policy areas and to be the environmental pillar of the EU Integrated Maritime policy. The Marine Strategy Framework Directive also aims to protect more effectively the marine environment, taking into account sustainable use of European waters. The EU has formulated an ambitious schedule for implementation of the MFSD (see table below)

Objective Good Environmental Status

The aim of the MSFD is to achieve good environmental status of all the European Union's marine waters by 2020. It requires co-operation between Member States who share a marine region, such as the North Sea, so that the protection and recovery of marine ecosystems is handled Europe-wide. The ecosystem approach is considered to be fundamental to guarantee the quality of ecosystems and to minimise the effects of fishing, shipping, offshore energy, wind energy, sludge disposal, marine waste and ocean pipe problems to the marine environment.

Setting objectives and monitoring

The MSFD’s objectives are guidelines which much be developed further in cooperation with member states that share a marine region, including the North Sea, by the year 2012 at the latest. Deltares and other research institutes are cooperating, commissioned by the Dutch Government, to implement the MSFD. An assessment and monitoring programme will be drawn up as well as a programme of measures. The MSFD also calls attention to matters that draw little notice which provides a possibility to make a persistent problem such as marine pollution an agenda item, for example the huge amount of marine debris which present dangers to land birds and sea birds.

Marine pollution from shipping, fishery, rivers and tourism is estimated at 20,000 tons per year. Gaining more insight into the pollution sources and the increase and decrease of waste might help to reduce marine pollution. Monitoring programs are used to constantly evaluate if the MSFD objectives and the good environmental status are achieved.

For more information please contact Theo Prins or
Cor Schipper .

 

Table 1..Schedule for the implementation of the MSFD

Transposition into national laws	2010
Initial assessment current environmental status	2012
Definition good environmental status	2012
Definition environmental targets and indicators	2012
Start monitoring programme	2014
Programme of measures: finalised	2015
Programme of measures: start realisation	2016
Achievement of good environmental status	2020