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
Widespread exploitation of the critically endangered European eel population continues against scientific advice, despite few signs of recovery. Yesterday, the International Exploration of the Sea, ICES, published its scientific advice on fishing opportunities and conservation for European eel for 2026. As in previous years, ICES advises zero catch for all life stages, all uses and in all habitats. The conservation advice is to reduce other human-related mortalities to zero and restore habitats.
EU Council decision on 2026 fishing limits fails to implement legally required safeguards, jeopardising the fragile marine ecosystem