Development of the EU Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD) policy
CCB • July 1, 2012
The implementation of the MSFD is on-going. In July 2012, EU Member States are supposed to present their plans with:
-Initial assessment of the marine environment and whether the “Good environmental status” of its marine environment has been reached.
-Targets and indicators for the 11 marine descriptors.
CCB, Seas at Risk and the Mediterranean Information Office have developed a Handbook for NGOs on how to work with the MSFD. Factsheets related to the various marine descriptors have been developed jointly by several European environmental NGOs.
The handbook and fact-sheets are available under statements dated March & April 2012
On Wednesday, 28 May, the International Council for the Exploration of the Seas (ICES) published its scientific advice for fish stocks in the Baltic Sea . In response, environmental NGOs from around the Baltic Sea region urge the European Commission to propose, and fisheries ministers to adopt, fishing opportunities at levels well below the headline advice to safeguard ecosystem needs and dynamics and allow for rapid recovery of Baltic Sea fish populations.
Key Baltic fish populations are in crisis, warn environmental NGOs. New scientific advice from the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea, ICES, confirms the poor condition of key Baltic fish populations, several of which remain collapsed (1). EU fisheries ministers must set 2026-catch limits well below ICES advice and prioritise long-term recovery over short-term economic gains.