MSFD Supporting Documentation
OSPAR Contracting Parties that are EU Member States have agreed that the OSPAR Commission should be the main platform through which they coordinate their work to implement the EU Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD) in the North-East Atlantic. The MSFD aims to achieve good environmental status for the EU Member States’ marine waters by 2020, applying the Ecosystem Approach. The Directive contains an obligation for EU Member States to cooperate to ensure the coordinated development of marine strategies for each marine region or sub-region and, where practical and appropriate, make use of existing institutional structures established in marine regions or sub-regions, in particular Regional Seas Conventions. The OSPAR Commission facilitates the implementation of the MSFD by implementing its North-East Atlantic Environment Strategy and by contributing to the further development of the elements of good environmental status under the MSFD, where relevant. Similarly, the implementation of the MSFD contributes towards OSPAR’s objectives.
A suite of documentation has been developed to support Contracting Parties that are EU member states to implement the MSFD and to assist their reporting obligations.
Article 11 Monitoring Programmes
OSPAR’s Coordinated Environmental Monitoring Programme Appendices set out details of the agreed monitoring and assessment approaches for each component of OSPAR’s themes including the approaches to be applied to realise coordination of monitoring and assessment. The Appendices have been adapted to align with the European Commission’s requirements for MSFD reporting and are available in the OSPAR Assessment Portal (OAP). The purpose is to assist those Contracting Parties that are EU member states in their national reporting commitments for MSFD Article 11 Monitoring Programmes. The CEMP Appendices are also included as metadata for the relevant data layers in ODIMS.
Article 13 Programmes of Measures
Article 13 of the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD) requires Member States to develop a Programme of Measures (PoM). OSPAR produced an overview of existing OSPAR measures in support of MSFD programmes of measures – ‘OSPAR acquis’. This has been further developed in OSPAR’s measures and actions programme (MAP) and in particular the MAP matrix.
OSPAR developed a Joint Documentation on Coordination of Measures (Marine Strategy Framework Directive) to highlight where there is existing or possible coherence, coordination and cooperation, in order to show the way the Contracting Parties that are EU Member States are cooperating to realise Article 5.2 of the MSFD: ensuring that their marine strategies are coherent and coordinated across the OSPAR region. Thus, the document is not intended to be an exhaustive list of all national measures.
Earlier documentation supporting the first cycle of the MSFD
Key messages / text for MSFD reporting sheet on regional coordination – 2018
Finding common ground. Towards regional coherence in implementing the Marine Strategy Framework Directive in the North-East Atlantic region through the work of the OSPAR Commission (2012, OSPAR publication 578)
Report of the OSPAR/MSFD workshop on approaches to determining GES for biodiversity (2011, OSPAR publication 553)
OSPAR Regional Implementation Framework for the EU Marine Strategy Framework Directive MSFD Road Map (2010, OSPAR publication 501)
Advice manuals on good environmental status for the first cycle of MSFD
MSFD Advice Manual and Background document on Good environmental status - Descriptor 11: Underwater noise (2012, OSPAR publication 586)
MSFD Advice document on Good environmental status - Descriptor 10: Marine Litter (2012, OSPAR publication 585)
MSFD Advice document on Good environmental status - Descriptor 8: Contaminants (2012, OSPAR publication 584)
MSFD Advice document on Good environmental status - Descriptor 7: Hydrographical conditions (2012, OSPAR publication 583)
MSFD Advice Manual and Background document on Good environmental status - Descriptor 5: Eutrophication (2012, OSPAR publication 582)
MSFD Advice Manual and Background Document on Biodiversity (2012, OSPAR publication 581)
Article 11 Monitoring Programme information and factsheets for the first cycle of MSFD
OSPAR Coordinates Monitoring in the North-East Atlantic (2010, OSPAR publication 622)
D5 - Nutrient Inputs from Land-Based Sources
D5 - Nutrient Inputs via the Atmosphere
D8 - Biological Effects, Contaminants
D8 - Contaminant Inputs from Land-Based (Diffuse and Point) Sources