The marine environment

The sustainable management of human activities at sea falls under the umbrella of a ‘Master Plan’ for the North Sea. The ‘MMM’ (Marien Milieu Marin) act of 20 January 1999 on the protection of the marine environment in sea areas under Belgian jurisdiction establishes the legal basis for the protection of the Belgian part of the North Sea against sea-related pollution and for the conservation, restoration and development of nature. Under the Royal Decree of 14 October 2005, five marine protected areas were designated. The policy plan for the management of the marine protected areas was prepared in 2008 and has been approved in 2009.

In Belgium, the Marine Environment Service of the Federal Public Service for Public Health, Food Chain Safety and Environment is responsible for supporting the national implementation of the EU Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD - 2008/56/EC). The Belgian transposition of the Marine Strategy Framework Directive took effect in the Royal Decree of 23/06/2010 concerning the marine strategy for the Belgian sea grounds.

The global implementation schedule as proposed in the framework directive, features a development in two major phases; a preparatory phase up to May 2015, and an executive phase as from 2016. For 2012, the initial assessment of the current environmental status and the environmental impact of human activities is scheduled, as well as the description of a good environmental status. Furthermore, a number of environmental objectives and related indicators have to be established. In 2014, a monitoring programme will be established and implemented. Finally, in the 2015-2016 span of time, the programme of measures takes effect. However, in order to achieve a successful national implementation, the Marine Environment Service needs a detailed step-by-step plan that has been agreed upon in the International Environmental Policy Coordination Committee.

The definition of good ecological status and environmental objectives for the Belgian marine waters have been defined in 2012, in response to the Articles 9 and 10 of the MSFD. For each of the 11 descriptors defined by the directive, among which descriptor 1 on biodiversity and descriptor 2 on exotic species, indicators and objectives are defined to achieve the good ecological status.