Lecture for 2nd year students on the policy aspects of the Marine Strategy Framework Directive.

1. Policy aspects of the Marine Strategy
Framework Directive (MSFD)
Martin Pastoors
HKZ17, 12 September 2012

2. Marine Strategy Framework
Directive is going to come

3. MSFD is a complex policy

4. Understanding policy aspects
& institutional ambiguity

5. Three topics
Marine Policy in Europe
Context of the Marine
Strategy Framework Directive
Regional approaches and
coordination

6. Marine Policy in Europa

7. European Institutions
Council of European
Ministers Parliament
European Court of
Commission Justice

8. Council of Ministers:
(co-) decides on legislation

9. European parliament (EP):
co-legislator, control function
736 members from 27 countries (2014: 751 members)
8 political delegations

10. Court of Justice:
Legal ruling over EU laws

11. European Commission (EC)
• Proposals for legal acts
• Implementing EU policy and laws
• Representing EU

12. EC directorates related to the sea

13. Complex decisionmaking

14. Regional Global
Conventions treaties
DGs
DGs
DGs
European European European Court of
Council Commission Parliament Justice
Committees
NGOs
Member
States
Research
Sectors
(industry)
Regions

15. Marine policy domains
Integrated Common
Maritime Policy Fisheries Policy
(IMP) (CFP)
Marine Strategy
Framework
Natura2000
Directive
(MSFD)
Water
Labour Spatial Framework
Transport Energy Regions
conditions planning
Directive

16. Integrated Maritime Policy (IMP)
• DG MARE „Communication‟
• Vision, not law
• “policy framework that will allow
for the optimal development of all
sea-related activities in a
sustainable manner”
• Action: marine spatial planning,
coordinating research, ...
• No direct effects on Member
States

17. Common Fisheries Policy (CFP)
• DG MARE „Regulation‟
• EU competentence
• GVB 1982, 1992, 2002, 2012 (?)
• Aim: sustainable fisheries
• Member States implement EU
policy
• Pillars
– Conservation
– Structure
– Market
– International

18. „Regional approach‟:
Regional Advisory Councils (RACs)

19. Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD)
Kaderrichtlijn Mariene Strategie (KRM)
• DG ENV „Directive‟
• Aim for 2020:
– Good Environmental Status (GES)
• Member States need to develop
regulations
• Regional coordiantion
• 11 descriptors (themes) with
indicators
• Measures via other policy
domains (e.g. CFP)

20. MSFD Marine regions

21. Natura2000
• DG ENV „Directives‟
– Bird Directive (1979)
– Habitat Directive (1992)
• Aim: maintain biodiversity
• Member States need to develop
regulations
• Regional coordination ?
• Method: Marine Protected Areas
• Measures via other policy
domains (e.g. CFP)

22. Overview policy domains
Name Acronym Type DG
Integrated Maritime Policy IMP Communication MARE
Common Fisheries Policy CFP Regulation MARE
Marine Strategy MSFD Directive ENV
Framework Directive
Natura2000 N2000 Directive ENV

23. Marine Governance:
Game, players and rules

24. Playing on multiple boards...
Integrated Common
Maritime Fisheries
Policy Policy
Marine
Strategy
Framework Natura2000
Directive

25. Institutional ambiguity

26. MSFD and institutional ambiguity
1. Establishment of marine regions (who
has competence and authority)
2. A framework directive vis-a-vis other
(common) marine policies and directives
(Member States in charge?)

27. Context of the Marine Strategy
Framework Directive

28. Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD)
Kaderrichtlijn Mariene Strategie (KRM)
• DG ENV „Directive‟
• Aim for 2020:
– Good Environmental Status (GES)
• Regional coordination
• 11 descriptors (themes) with
indicators
• Member States need to develop
regulations
• Measures via other policy
domains (e.g. CFP)

29. Status of the directives
• MSFD
– Commitment for actions
• WFD (Water Framework Directive)
– Commitment for results

30. MSFD Initial Planning Cycle

31. MSFD „speak‟
Good Environmental Status Environmental status of marine waters where
these provide ecologically diverse and dynamic
oceans and seas which are clean, healthy and
productive ....
Descriptor Qualitative descriptors for determining good
environmental status; i.e. themes
Indicator Operationalizing descriptors; things you can
„measure‟
Target Target value for an indicator
Measure Means to change the system and achieve
targets

32. MSFD: what came before?
2008
2008
Request for scientific
MSFD agreed
advice to ICES/JRC
2010
ICES/JRC specify indicators
and potential targets
2012 July 2010
National Initial EC: criteria and
Assessments standards

33. NL Initial Assessment
Ministerie van Infrastructuur en Milieu. 2012.
Ontwerp Mariene Strategie voor het Nederlandse deel van de Noordzee 2012-2020.

34. Stakeholder involvement
• Varying involvement
• Shipping, Oil&gas, Wind energy, NGOs
actively involved
• Fisheries and Tourism limited involvement
Ounanian, K., Delaney, A., Raakjær, J., and Ramirez-Monsalve, P. 2012. On unequal footing: Stakeholder
perspectives on the marine strategy framework directive as a mechanism of the ecosystem-based approach to
marine management. Marine Policy, 36: 658-666.

35. Policy involvement
• Common Implementation Strategy (CIS)
– Marine Environmental Policy Makers from
Member States.

36. MSFD = management by indicator
• Science:
– Defining good environmental status
– Defining indicators
• Policy
– Selecting indicators
– Getting the indicator at the right level
• Stakeholders
– Comment on proposals

37. Governance aspects of MSFD
• Command-and-control policy
• Regional coordination (new!)
• Emphasis on ecological targets
• Integration limited
• Instrumental participation process
(reflecting not shaping)

38. Regional approaches and
coordination of MSFD

39. Baltic Sea: HELCOM
• Helsinki Convention
• 8 EU Member States
+ Russia
• Baltic Sea Action Plan
(2007)
– Eutrophication
– Biodiversity
– Maritime activities
– Hazardous substances

40. HELCOM coordination of MSFD
• Strong link between Baltic Sea Action Plan
and MSFD
• Low institutional ambiguity

41. North Sea: OSPAR
• 1992 Oslo Paris
convention
• 2010 Northeast Atlantic
Environmental Strategy
– Biodiversity
– Eutrophication
– Oil and Gas
– Radiation
– Integrated management

42. OSPAR coordination of MSFD?
• OSPAR adapted to MSFD requirements
• Different implementation phases in
Member States
• Institutional ambiguity
– OSPAR vs. Member States
– Who deals with what topics?

43. Mediterranean Sea:
Barcelona convention
• Many non-EU countries
• 2008 Mediterranean
Action Plan (MAP)
– Ecosystem approach
– 7 steps
• No formal link to MSFD

44. Barcelona Convention and MSFD?
• Substantial Institutional Ambiguity
• Many non-EU countries
• Will MAP be adapted to MSFD?
• Will EU-regional coordination develop?

45. Black Sea: Bucharest Convention
• 1992 Convention
• 1996 Strategic Action
Plan
• 2009 new Strategic
Action Plan
– Ecosystem approach
• No references to
MSFD

46. Bucharest Convention and MSFD?
• Many non-EU countries
• Will the Convention be coordinating?
• Role still needs to be decided / developed

47. Comparing Regional
Conventions
EU countries Mismatch with Institutional
GES objectives Ambiguity
HELCOM Majority Low Low
OSPAR Majority Low Low-moderate
Barcelona Minority Moderate High
Bucharest minority High Moderate
Van Leeuwen, J., Van Hoof, L. J. W., and Van Tatenhove, J. 2012. Institutional ambiguity in implementing the
European Union Marine Strategy Framework Directive. Marine Policy, 36: 636-643.

48. Summary

49. Multi-level decision-making

50. Marine policy domains
Integrated Common
Maritime Policy Fisheries Policy
(IMP) (CFP)
Marine Strategy
Framework
Natura2000
Directive
(MSFD)
Water
Labour Spatial Framework
Transport Energy Regions
conditions planning
Directive

51. Regional coordination

52. Complex?

54. Contact
phone +31 317 487 849
mobile +31 610 939 549
Email martin.pastoors@wur.nl
Internet www.cmp.wur.nl
Blog www.martinpastoors.nl
Twitter @martinpastoors
LinkedIn nl.linkedin.com/in/martinpastoors