| | I still have bright memories from my recent trip to Svalbard – 78 degrees North - where Norway hosted the second meeting under the collective arrangement bringing together delegates from OSPAR and the North East Atlantic Fisheries Commission (NEAFC). These include the majesty of the midnight sun, knowing that Svalbard has more polar bears than people, the ‘frontier’ feel in the far north of OSPAR’s area, and experiencing again how constructive and useful it is for NEAFC and OSPAR to meet face to face - Contracting Parties as well as Chairs and Secretariat. This underlines to me again that, whatever organisational or legal structures we set in place, nothing beats creating opportunities for dialogue and working together. We will report back in detail on the meeting in due course. Meanwhile…
Darius Campbell
Executive Secretary |  | | Environmental Impacts of Human Activities | | EIHA met in springtime Berlin close to the famous Brandenburg Gate. The main focus of the meeting was the development and assessment of indicators on marine litter and underwater noise, as well as a thematic assessment of dredged material. | 
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| |  | | Hazardous Substances and Eutrophication | | OSPAR’s Hazardous Substances and Eutrophication Committee (HASEC) met at the beginning of April in Cork, Ireland – the beautiful Emerald Isle. It was a hectic week because as well as addressing HASEC’s usual business, the Committee participants reviewed 16 OSPAR common indicator assessments... | |
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|  | | OSPAR's Offshore Industry Committee | | The Hague, in the Netherlands hosted OSPAR’s Offshore Industry Committee (OIC). The main focus of the meeting was the contribution by OIC to the implementation of OSPAR's Joint Assessment and Monitoring Programme. | |
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| |  | | Biodiversity | | Göteborg, in Sweden hosted the OSPAR Biodiversity Committee meeting close to the Skagerrak coast. The main focus of the meeting was the development and assessment of common biodiversity indicators on mammals, fish, benthic and pelagic habitats and food webs. These will provide a crucial part of OSPAR's intermediate assessment in 2017. | |
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