The EU and its role in

reducing marine litter

Leo de Vrees
European Commission
DG Environment
Marine and Water Industry Unit

Framework Marine Litter

Awareness
Policy

Knowledge

Monitoring

Measures
Funding

Policy context: Legislation and

policies addressing sources
Resource efficiency and waste prevention: a
Resource Efficient Europe (2012)
Waste Management
Waste Framework Directive
Packaging Directive
Landfill Directive

Green paper
review 2014

Urban wastewater treatment

Pollution from ships
(MARPOL (Annex V))
reviewed 2012
Port Reception Facilities Directive review 2013

The Marine Directive (2008)

EUs legal instrument for the protection of our seas
Protected: Overall objective of the Directive to achieve or maintain Good
Environmental Status (GES) of the EU's marine waters by 2020
Sustainable:
Ecosystem-based
and
integrated approach to the management
of all human activities which have an
impact on the marine environment.
Common:
Regional
approach
to
implementation, and establishment of
European Marine Regions

Overarching Goal:
Achieve Good Environmental Status of
EUs Marine Waters by 2020

Protected
Ecosystems

Sustainable
Uses

Common
Approaches

Clean, healthy,
productive
seas

of Europes
marine
resources

Cooperation at
the EU and
regional level

Implementation Steps
Main elements of a
Marine Strategy:
Six year review of
the different
elements of the
strategy

Initial assessment,
objectives, targets &
indicators
2012
(+ 6 years)

2018 2021

Initial assessment of current

environmental status of MS
waters by 15 July 2012
Determination of GES by 15 July
2012

Establishment of environmental
targets and associated indicators
by 15 July 2012

Implementation
of the marine
strategy

Monitoring
Programmes
2014

2016

Programmes of
Measures
2015

Establishment of a monitoring
programme for ongoing
assessment and regular updating
of targets by 15 July 2014
Development of a programme of
measures designed to achieve or
maintain GES by 2015

GES: Common principles, tailored indicators

Illustration with Descriptor 10 on Marine Litter
GES Descriptors
high level, generic across
Europe
GES Criteria
will be based on characteristics
which define what GES means in
each Member State

GES: Indicators & Targets

provide the final level of details. If the
targets are met, GES should be achieved

Descriptor 10 Marine litter does not cause harm to the coastal

and marine environment
Characteristics of litter in the marine and coastal environment
Impacts of litter on marine life

Indicators:
Trends in amount of litter washed ashore and/or deposited on
coastlines
Trends in amount of litter in water column and deposited on
sea-floor
Trends in amount, distribution and where possible, composition
of micro-particles
Trends in amount and composition of litter ingested by marine
animals
Targets (examples):
X% of overall reduction in the volume of litter on coastlines from
2010 levels by 2020.
Less than 10% of northern fulmars (sea bird) having more than
0.1 g plastic particles in their stomach

Policy context: Legislation and

policies related to impacts
Integrated Maritime Policy:
Surveillance; MSP; Knowledge; Fishing litter; Lost
Fishing Gear

Marine Strategy Framework Directive

Determine GES
Setting targets
Monitoring
Measures

art 12 assessment
7th EAP, RIO+20
TSG Litter
Pilot studies

Integrated Coastal Zone Management

Policy context: Legislation and

policies related to impacts (2)
Water Management
Bathing Water Directive: visual inspection for
pollution and if needed, adequate management
measures must be taken
Water Framework Directive: impact on water
quality/biological impacts. Possible areas of work:

Monitoring sources: waste water treatment plants, (illegal/non-managed)

landfills, recreation zones, cities, drainage systems
Impacts: Physical and chemical
Awareness raising: water managers and inhabitants
Links with source control legislation

What is there in the WFD that can help?

Good status = good chemical and good
ecological status of surface and groundwaters
For surface waters
good chemical status means meeting the
environmental quality standards for the 33 priority
substances and eight "other pollutants" (12 mile in sea)
good ecological status refers to good structure and
functioning of the aquatic ecosystem, assessed on the
basis of "quality elements" - biological, physicochemical, hydromorphological (1 mile in sea)

No direct reference to "litter"

9

How meeting WFD good chemical

status can help (1)
Article 16 WFD requires measures against pollution of water
by individual or groups of pollutants presenting a significant
risk to or via the aquatic environment
Measures shall be aimed at the progressive reduction of
priority substances (PS) and the cessation or phasing
out of discharges, emissions and losses of priority
hazardous substances (PHS) (PBTs and substances of
equivalent concern)
Selection of substances is based on risk assessment
(exposure and hazard)
Article 8 WFD requires monitoring of the priority substances
and eight "other pollutants"
10

How meeting WFD good chemical

status can help (2)
Leaching of substances from (plastic) litter is relevant (e.g.
plasticizing DEHP is a priority substance)
REACH Article 61 refers to review of substance
authorisations in relevant river basins if WFD environmental
objectives are not being met
Therefore if WFD chemical monitoring shows that priority
substances or the other pollutants are an issue, e.g.
through leaching, action could be taken under REACH
Some priority substances (those that bioaccumulate) are
already monitored in biota. This is likely to increase and
could provide scope for increased monitoring of the
presence of microplastics in biota
11

How meeting WFD good ecological

status can help (3)
Physico-chemical quality elements include river basin
specific pollutants, i.e .pollutants discharged into water
bodies in significant quantities. Member States must set
and meet standards for the relevant substances
Physico-chemical quality elements also include (for lakes,
transitional and coastal waters) "transparency", which
could potentially be affected by (plastic) litter
Hydromorphological elements include the structure and
substrate of the river/lake/water-body bed, which could
also be influenced by litter
Article 8 WFD requires monitoring of ecological status.

12

Monitoring
ToR of TSG Marine litter
Develop common monitor protocols: beach litter;
floating/column; sea floor; micro-plastics;
ingested litter; standardization of categories
Evaluate new monitoring tools
Estimate the costs of monitoring
Identification of sources incl. riverine input
Assess harm
Eye on Earth EEA): pilot on marine litter for citizen
science

Research
We do know: main sources; composition;
anecdotic proof of abundance and impacts
(ingested, entangled)
There is a growing concern on micro-plastics
incl. fibres; chemicals; vector NIS
Filling knowledge gaps through RTD projects:
ECsafeFood; BIOCLEAN;
CLEANSEA; HERMONIA; PERSEUS; STAGES;
GESAMP

Interreg:
MICRO (micro-plastics in the North Sea)

Awareness
AWARENESS is growing with policy makers at
EU and MS level, industries (producers, retailers)
Prep meetings with sectors since 2011
TO INCREASE PUBLIC AWARENESS:
MARLISCO: Marine litter in European Seas: Social
Awareness and Co-responsibility. Includes
making available knowledge to policy makers
Fishing for litter (sponsored by Life+)
Green Public Procurement; Ecolabel scheme

Funding possibilities
Life+
FP7 and Horizon 2020
Competiveness and Innovation Framework
Programme (environmentally-friendly packaging)
Structural funds

Cohesion
European Maritime and Fisheries Fund
Regional development (INTERREG IVC)
Pre-accession Assistance

Measures: 3 Pilot projects

Objectives
To identify loopholes in marine litter in 4 regional
seas (Riga, Oostende, Barcelona, Konstanza)
To identify loopholes in plastic packaging waste in
less performing countries in EU and 3 in MED
(Egypt, Lebanon, Morocco)
To prevent littering (human behaviour) and
analyse (combination of) measures

Measures: Pilot project Litter Removal

Assessment of best practices: existing forms of marine
litter removal, such as the various Fishing for Litter (FFL)
initiatives, will be assessed from an organisational,
economic and environmental angle, with a view to define
what good practises are.
Setting up marine litter removal pilot projects: to launch or
maintain self-sustaining projects (business cases) in all 4
regional seas. Local host organisations will be identified.
Dissemination of the results: toolkit for use by
stakeholders that want to start litter removal actions.
The EU fishing community along with EU plastics producers,
converters and recyclers, local authorities, waste managers
and NGOs will be engaged in several steps of the project.

 Co-organized by UBA Germany and EC

200 participants from MS, local authorities,
stakeholders
Representation of 4 regional sea conventions
Target setting; measures; best practices; new
initiatives; regional action plans; declaration
www.marine-litter-conference-berlin.info.

Time lines with regard to Marine Litter (1)

< Oct 2012 .Council 2009; workshop 2010;
Hawaii 2011; Rio 2012, MS reports 2012
Oct 2012: Commission Staff Working Document
published
Dec 2012: Commission proposed in 7th EAP to
develop an EU wide target on marine litter
Jan 2013: Three pilot projects finished on sources
of and measures against marine litter
Feb 2013: Pilot project on litter removal started
Mar 2013: Green paper on plastic in the
environment published

Time lines with regard to Marine Litter (2)

Apr 2013: International conference on marine
litter in Berlin
Autumn 2013: Assessment (art 12) report of MSFD
2013: Regional Action Plans per Regional Sea area
developed
Oct 2013: HELCOM Ministerial meeting
Autumn 2013: OSPAR workshop on RAP Litter
End 2013: COP Barcelona

2014: Year of Review of waste legislation/policies

July 2014: Monitoring programmes MSFD
2015: Programme of measures MSFD

http://ec.europa.eu/environment/marine

Thank you for your attention!