ANNEX IV - ON THE ASSESSMENT OF THE QUALITY OF THE MARINE ENVIRONMENT

1. For the purposes of this Annex "monitoring" means the repeated measurement of:

1. the quality of the marine environment and each of its compartments, that is, water, sediments and biota;

2. activities or natural and anthropogenic inputs which may affect the quality of the marine environment;

3. the effects of such activities and inputs.

2. Monitoring may be undertaken either for the purposes of ensuring compliance with the Convention, with the objective of identifying patterns and trends or for research purposes.

For the purposes of this Annex, the Contracting Parties shall:

1. cooperate in carrying out monitoring programmes and submit the resulting data to the Commission;

2. comply with quality assurance prescriptions and participate in intercalibration exercises;

3. use and develop, individually or preferably jointly, other duly validated scientific assessment tools, such as modelling, remote sensing and progressive risk assessment strategies;

4. carry out, individually or preferably jointly, research which is considered necessary to assess the quality of the marine environment, and to increase knowledge and scientific understanding of the marine environment and, in particular, of the relationship between inputs, concentration and effects;

5. take into account scientific progress which is considered to be useful for such assessment purposes and which has been made elsewhere either on the initiative of individual researchers and research institutions, or through other national and international research programmes or under the auspices of the European Economic Community or other regional economic integration organisations.

For the purposes of this Annex, it shall, inter alia, be the duty of the Commission:

1. to define and implement programmes of collaborative monitoring and assessment-related research, to draw up codes of practice for the guidance of participants in carrying out these monitoring programmes and to approve the presentation and interpretation of their results;

2. to carry out assessments taking into account the results of relevant monitoring and research and the data relating to inputs of substances or energy into the maritime area which are provided by virtue of other Annexes to the Convention, as well as other relevant information;

3. to seek, where appropriate, the advice or services of competent regional organisations and other competent international organisations and competent bodies with a view to incorporating the latest results of scientific research;

4. to cooperate with competent regional organisations and other competent international organisations in carrying out quality status assessments.

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