MEPs and governments agree EU marine directive

2441, 03/12/07

MEPs and the council of ministers have reached provisional accord on the final content of a proposed EU marine framework directive.  The deal was hammered out last Thursday and brings forward by one year a number of key deadlines proposed by the European commission (EED 21/10/05 http://www.endseuropedaily.com/19671).

The main focus of last week's compromise talks was the overarching political objective of the draft law.  A year ago the parliament called for all European seas to reach "good environmental status" by 2017 (EED 15/11/06 http://www.endseuropedaily.com/22051).  But EU governments rejected the move, instead saying member states should merely "aim to achieve" good environmental status by 2021 (EED 18/12/06 http://www.endseuropedaily.com/22284).

As a compromise, MEPs and governments agreed that EU countries must "take the necessary measures to achieve good environmental status" by 2020.  To that end, governments will have to assess the environmental status of their marine waters by 2012, and develop a programme of measures to achieve good environmental status by 2015.

To help countries define "good environmental status" the council and parliament have inserted a list of elements in an annex to the directive which the commission will elaborate further through the EU's comitology procedure.

The compromise includes a derogation allowing member states to take no action to improve environmental quality if the costs are "disproportionate".  But inaction will not be permitted if it leads to further deterioration of the marine environment, or threatens the achievement of overall good status.

The directive forms the main environmental component of a new EU maritime policy announced in October (EED 10/10/07 http://www.endseuropedaily.com/24053).  The parliament's plenary body is expected to approve the compromise deal next Wednesday.

Follow-up: European parliament http://www.europarl.europa.eu/default.htm, tel: +32 2 284 2111.

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