Coastline near Cinque Terre, Italy.
Photo: Adobe Stock
The European Commission has launched a public consultation on revising the Marine Strategy Framework Directive, the EU’s main set of rules for looking after the health of Europe’s seas, following an assessment that found the EU has failed to meet its own targets for the health of marine waters.
An evaluation published in March this year concluded that the directive, in force since 2008, created a comprehensive framework for monitoring Europe’s seas but did not deliver its core objective of achieving "good environmental status" by 2020.
This situation was criticised at the time by the World Wildlife Federation, which argued that "the absence of legally binding targets allows Member States to choose their own approach to ocean protection – too often, with disappointing results.” Marine biodiversity continues to decline in several regions, while pollution, particularly from nutrients and chemicals, remains widespread.
The Commission has now opened a call for evidence and public consultation, saying the rules need to be updated to better protect marine ecosystems and to address weaknesses in implementation identified by the review.
According to the Commission, the directive has improved cooperation between Member States and helped establish common standards for protecting marine biodiversity. It has also generated data that has informed other EU legislation, including rules on single-use plastics. However, the evaluation found that these advances have not translated into sufficient improvements in environmental conditions at sea.
The Commission argues that the existing framework is complex and administratively burdensome, and that simplification, alongside better use of data, could make it more effective.
Environment Commissioner Jessika Roswall said public input would be key to shaping the changes.
“Healthy, clean and productive seas and oceans are essential to preserve our environment and to enable our blue economy to thrive. I want to hear from stakeholders and citizens on how to improve the protection of the marine environment while making our EU rules more effective and simpler to implement,” she stated in a news release.
The review is linked to the Commission’s Water Resilience Strategy and to a broader policy approach that seeks to reduce pressures on marine ecosystems from land-based activities as well as offshore industries.
The directive is also expected to feed into the planned European Ocean Pact, which aims to align marine, maritime and fisheries policies.
The European Commission said work on the revised rules will be coordinated with its preparations for a European Ocean Act, intended to provide a more integrated system of ocean governance across the EU. A separate consultation on that legislation is planned for early 2026.
Stakeholders and members of the public can submit feedback through the Have Your Say website. The consultation will run until 9 March 2026, after which the Commission will bring forward legislative proposals.
