Brussels, 01/09/2010 (Agence Europe) - How can the environmental status of Europe's seas be assessed? The answer to that question has been provided by the European Commission which, on Wednesday 1 September, adopted criteria to help member states carry out the task of assessing the quality of Europe's marine waters.
The “Good Environmental Status” criteria for marine waters will mean that the quality of the seas can be assessed on the basis of biological diversity, fish population, eutrophication, contaminants, litter and noise.
“We want our seas to be healthy and productive. Today's decision is a starting point in establishing precise objectives for the achievement of good environmental status,” said Environment Commissioner Janez Potoènik in a press release.
The criteria and associated indicators defined in the Commission decision have to be used by member states. They are based on scientific and technical advice provided by independent experts, the Commission points out. Some will require further refinement. All will be regularly updated to take account of new scientific knowledge. The EU's objective is to have all European marine waters achieve Good Environmental Status by 2020. (A.N./transl.rt)