Environment Ministers fail to adopt a strong Marine Strategy Directive
Posted on December, 18 2006
WWF joined BirdLife International, the European Environment Bureau, the Fisheries Secretariat, Greenpeace, the International Fund for Animal Welfare, Oceana, Seas At Risk and the European Coastal Union in criticising today's Council agreement on the Marine Strategy Directive, as lacking commitment to safeguard the marine environment.
Brussels, Belgium - WWF joined BirdLife International, the European Environment Bureau, the Fisheries Secretariat, Greenpeace, the International Fund for Animal Welfare, Oceana, Seas At Risk and the European Coastal Union in criticising today's Council agreement on the Marine Strategy Directive, as lacking commitment to safeguard the marine environment. The goal of the Directive is to achieve a “good environmental status” in all European waters by 2021, through an ecosystem-based management within Europe’s Marine Regions, a tighter control of human activities in the marine environment and an improved knowledge of marine ecosystems.
Member States have chosen to undermine the substance of the Directive by pledging to merely “aim to achieve” rather than actually “achieve” Good Environmental Status. They limited their commitment to taking measure to protect the marine environment only where “reasonable and practicable” and where they do not incur a “disproportionate cost”.
Read in its entirety, however, the overall sense of a weak rather than strong commitment to protect our seas overshadows any improvements the Environment Ministers have adopted on the Commission proposal. Even important existing environmental objectives arising from regional and international conventions and accepted principles of good governance, such as the precautionary principle, have been deleted or ignored by the Council, despite the fact that the Member States and European Union have endorsed these commitments.
In addition, Environment Ministers have appeared all too willing to relinquish their duties to protect all marine wildlife, including Europe's fish, solely to their Fisheries Minister colleagues, apparently due to concerns over competencies. As suggested by Council, the Marine Strategy Directive will do little to halt the loss of marine biodiversity and is an inadequate environmental ‘pillar’ for a possible future EU Maritime Policy.
For further information:
Caroline Alibert, WWF European Policy Office,
Tel: +32 2 740 09 36,
Mob: +32 495 26 07 13,
E-mail: calibert@wwfepo.org