http://www.cleansea-project.eu/drupal/?q=en/node/206

CleanSea findings 5.1. Institutional and legal gaps and barriers to
prevent reduce and clean up marine litter

You can download here the fact sheet gathering main findings of this
CleanSea task.

http://www.cleansea-project.eu/drupal/sites/default/files/project%20results/D5.1factsheet_0.pdf

http://www.cleansea-project.eu/drupal/?q=en/EUAction

In the EU

EU Policy

The Commission published a Commission Staff Working Document with an
overview of relevant EU legislation, policies and strategies that touch
on this problem. The document also includes an indication of on-going
and future initiatives in this area.
Environment is a key component of the Integrated Maritime Policy (IMP)
and the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (Marine Directive), adopted
in 2008.
The main goal of the Marine Directive is to achieve "Good Environmental
Status" (GES) of all marine waters of the European Union by 2020. The
decision under Article 9(3) MSFD on criteria of good environmental
status addresses marine litter in descriptor 10 and aims at achieving
that "Properties and quantities of marine litter do not cause harm to
the coastal and marine environment".
The success of the Marine Directive depends largely on the effective
integration of marine environmental concerns in EU legislation and
policies. The Marine Directive aims to achieve this by providing a
long-term policy view of the seas and enhanced cooperation in marine
regions and internationally.
As a follow up to the Commission Decision on criteria and methodological
standards on good environmental status (GES) of marine waters
(Commission Decision 2010/477/EU), the Marine Directors requested the
Directorate-General for the Environment (DG ENV) in 2010 to establish a
technical subgroup under the Working Group on GES (WG GES) in relation
to the Marine Strategy Framework Directive 2008/56/EC (MSFD) for further
development of Descriptor 10 Marine Litter. In 2011 the TSG compiled a
report with recommendations regarding Descriptor 10 (Marine Litter).
Finally, in 2013 the TSG produced "A guidance document within the Common
Implementation Strategy for the Marine Strategy Framework Directive MSFD
Technical Subgroup on Marine Litter 2013. Guidance on Monitoring of
Marine Litter in European Seas"

Projects

The European Commission commissioned 3 Pilot Projects (studies) on
marine litter. As the studies are closely linked, a common chapter has
been developed, integrating the respective results.
The results of the studies are now available here:

? Pilot Project "Study of the largest loopholes within the flow of
packaging material"
? Pilot Project " Feasibility Study of introducing instruments to
prevent littering"
? Pilot Project "Case studies on the plastic cycle and its loopholes in
the four European regional seas areas"

The European Commission is currently running a Pilot Project "Removal of
marine litter from Europe's four regional seas" (MARELITT).

Besides CleanSea, other EU funded projects related to marine litter are:

FP7 MARLISCO. Marine Litter in European Seas - Social Awareness and
Co-Responsibility

FP7 KnowSeas. Knowledge-based Sustainable Management for Europe's Seas

FP7 PERSEUS. Policy-oriented marine Environmental Research for the
Southern European Seas

FP7 DEVOTES. DEVelopment Of innovative Tools for understanding marine
biodiversity and assessing good Environmental Status

FP7 MedSeA. European Mediterranean Sea Acidification in a changing climate

FP7 BioClean. Biotechnological solutions for the degradation of
synthetic polymeric materials

FP7 ECSAFESEAFOOD. Priority environmental contaminants in seafood:
safety assessment, impact and public perception

FP7 WASTEKIT. Waste management focusing on knowledge and integration to
create transnational economic development

FP7 MERMAID. Marine Environmental targets linked to Regional Management
schemes based on Indicators Developed for the Mediterranean

Interreg MICRO. MicroPlastics

Interreg MARLIN. Baltic Marine Litter Project

ENPI-CBC MED MED-JELLYRISK. Integrated monitoring of jellyfish outbreaks
under anthropogenic and climatic impacts in the Mediterranean sea:
trophic and socio-economic risks

Furthermore, the European Commission published the brochure The Ocean of
Tomorrow Projects (2010-2013). Joint Research Forces to Meet Challenges
in Ocean Management, where CleanSea and other FP7 projects are described.

More information
*Source: DG Environment, EC.

http://ec.europa.eu/environment/marine/pdf/Integration%20of%20results%20from%20three%20Marine%20Litter%20Studies.pdf

http://ec.europa.eu/environment/marine/pdf/Bipro/Bipro.zip

http://ec.europa.eu/environment/marine/pdf/RPA_study.zip

http://ec.europa.eu/environment/marine/pdf/Arcadis/Arcadis.zip

http://ec.europa.eu/environment/marine/good-environmental-status/descriptor-10/index_en.htm

Descriptor 10: Marine Litter