Marine Strategy Framework Directive – Review and analysis of EU Member States’ 2018 reports – Descriptor 2: Non-Indigenous Species
Assessment (Art. 8), Good Environmental Status (Art. 9) and Targets (Art. 10)
The current report analyses the information reported by the European Union Member States (MSs) on the Descriptor 2 (D2) - non indigenous species (NIS) - of the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD). This reporting information by the MSs followed the Article 17 requirements of MSFD for updating Articles 8, 9 and 10 of the Directive, for the last 6-year MSFD reporting cycle. By September 2020, 20 MSs reported on D2 in electronic format. Concerning Article 8, all reporting MSs assessed the the primary criterion D2C1, but only a few MSs assessed the secondary criteria D2C2 and D2C3. The assessment of the D2 criteria was not applied in a coherent manner. In addition, there were large gaps in setting threshold values for the D2 criteria, particularly for the Mediterranean and NE Atlantic countries. Moreover, new NIS introductions (D2C1) were under-reported for most MSs. Only in a few cases Good Environmental Status (GES) was reported as achieved, at specific subregions or local areas and for specific D2 criteria. As far as Article 9 is concerned, GES achievement was not assessed for the majority of MSs due to the lack of threshold values for the criteria and the lack of understanding of the GES Decision regarding achievement for D2. Regarding Article 10, large inconsistency was observed in the way the MSs have set their targets, even at national level. There was a complete lack of regional coordination for setting targets and absence of any joint target. While targets were regularly expressed as a direction towards GES achievement, they provided no quantification toward GES. The present report provides recommendations for the application of D2 criteria, GES determination and on Article 10 targets. The MSFD NIS expert network could provide technical/scientific solutions for tackling the gaps in the assessments of D2. Related work of the Regional Sea Conventions should support this effort.
TSIAMIS Konstantinos;
BOSCHETTI Simona;
PALIALEXIS Andreas;
SOMMA Francesca;
DE JESUS CARDOSO Ana;
2021-04-12
Publications Office of the European Union
JRC123179
978-92-76-27700-2 (online),
1831-9424 (online),
EUR 30520 EN,
OP KJ-NA-30520-EN-N (online),
https://publications.jrc.ec.europa.eu/repository/handle/JRC123179,
10.2760/7897 (online),
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