Marine Litter : Technical Recommendations for the Implementation of MSFD Requirements

As a follow up to the Commission Decision on criteria and methodological standards on good environmental status (GES) of marine waters (Commission Decision 2010/477/EU), the Marine Directors requested Directorate General Environment in 2010 to establish a technical subgroup under the Working Group on GES in relation to the Marine Strategy Framework Directive 2008/56/EC (WG GES) for further development of Descriptor 10 Marine Litter and Descriptor 11 Noise/Energy. This report compiles the recommendations regarding Descriptor 10, Marine Litter. The implementation of provisons under MSFD Descriptor 10 as described in the Commission Decision 2010/477/EU is in its first step depending on the availability of appropriate monitoring tools.The group has investigated the monitoring approaches for marine litter and provides a set of monitoring tools which can be employed for that purpose.There are gaps in the regional applicability and differences in the maturity of some tools. There is need for further harmonization and collaborative activities in order to allow EU MS the future reporting of environmental trends and thus the verification of measures against marine litter.JRC.H.5-Rural, water and ecosystem resource

Guidance on Monitoring of Marine Litter in European Seas

This publication is a Reference Report by the Joint Research Centre of the European Commission.The MSFD Technical Subgroup on Marine Litter was tasked to deliver guidance so that European Member States could initiate programmes for monitoring of Descriptor 10 of the MSFD. The present document provides the recommendations and information needed to commence the monitoring required for marine litter, including methodological protocols and categories of items to be used for the assessment of litter on the Beach, Water Column, Seafloor and Biota, including a special section on Microparticles

Monitoring Guidance for Marine litter in European Seas

The Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD) requires European Member States (MS) to develop strategies that should lead to programmes of measures that achieve or maintain Good Environmental Status (GES) in European Seas. As an essential step reaching good environmental status, MS should establish monitoring programmes for assessment, enabling the state of the marine waters concerned to be evaluated on a regular basis. As a follow up to the Commission Decision on criteria and methodological standards on good environmental status (GES) of marine waters (Commission Decision 2010/477/EU), the Marine Directors requested the Directorate-General for the Environment (DG ENV) in 2010 to establish a Technical Subgroup (TSG) under the Working Group on Good Environmental Status (WG GES) for further development of Descriptor 10 Marine Litter (TSG-ML). TSG-ML in 2011 focused on providing advise through the EU Report 25009 “Marine Litter – Technical Recommendations for the implementation of MSFD requirements”. Within that report the options and available tools for the monitoring of marine litter in the different environmental compartments have been identified. Member States have then requested a follow-up through an additional mandate. One scope of this work is to provide harmonized protocols for the monitoring of marine litter for the European Seas. The present document is the Monitoring Guidance for Marine Litter in European Seas (Draft Report) and provides MS with the recommendations and information needed to commence the monitoring required this aspect of MSFD. This draft report divided in 8 sections/chapters presents a general overview of approaches and strategies dealing with marine litter monitoring and provides protocols for the monitoring of specifically: beach litter, floating litter, seafloor litter, litter in biota, microlitter. It concludes by presenting an introduction to a Master List of all litter items for use in litter monitoring programmes in the European marine environment.JRC.H.1-Water Resource

Review of the Commission Decision 2010/477/EU concerning MSFD criteria for assessing Good Environmental Status: Descriptor 10: Properties and quantities of marine litter do not cause harm to the coastal and marine environment

This report represents the result of the scientific and technical review of Commission Decision 2010/477/EU in relation to Descriptor 10. The review has been carried out by the EC JRC together with the MSFD Technical Group on Marine Litter, and has considered contributions from the GES Working Group in accordance with the roadmap set out in the MSFD implementation strategy (agreed on at the 11th CIS MSCG meeting). The report is one of a series of reports (review manuals) including Descriptor 1, 2, 5, 7, 8, 9, 10 that conclude phase 1 of the review process and, as agreed within the MSFD Common Implementation Strategy, are the basis for review phase 2, towards an eventual revision of the Commission Decision 2010/477/EU. The report presents the state of the technical discussions as of 30 April 2015, as some discussions are ongoing, it does not contain agreed conclusions on all issues. The views expressed in the document do not necessarily represent the views of the European Commission.JRC.H.1-Water Resource