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Document 52012DC0662
REPORT FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE COUNCIL AND THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT Contribution of the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (2008/56/EC) to the implementation of existing obligations, commitments and initiatives of the Member States or the EU at EU or international level in the sphere of environmental protection in marine waters
REPORT FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE COUNCIL AND THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT Contribution of the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (2008/56/EC) to the implementation of existing obligations, commitments and initiatives of the Member States or the EU at EU or international level in the sphere of environmental protection in marine waters
REPORT FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE COUNCIL AND THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT Contribution of the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (2008/56/EC) to the implementation of existing obligations, commitments and initiatives of the Member States or the EU at EU or international level in the sphere of environmental protection in marine waters
/* COM/2012/0662 final */
REPORT FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE COUNCIL AND THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT Contribution of the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (2008/56/EC) to the implementation of existing obligations, commitments and initiatives of the Member States or the EU at EU or international level in the sphere of environmental protection in marine waters /* COM/2012/0662 final */
REPORT FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE
COUNCIL AND THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT Contribution of the Marine Strategy
Framework Directive (2008/56/EC) to the implementation of existing obligations,
commitments and initiatives of the Member States or the EU at EU or
international level in the sphere of environmental protection in marine waters 1. introduction The Marine Strategy Framework Directive
(hereafter referred to as Marine Directive or MSFD)[1] aims to achieve Good Environmental Status of the EU's marine waters
by 2020 and to protect the resource base upon which marine-related economic and
social activities depend. Environmental status will be assessed on the basis of
11 qualitative descriptors[2],
considering environmental state, pressures and impacts on marine ecosystems,
and good status is to be achieved via the development and implementation of a
strategy for marine waters in each Member State, addressing all impacts and
pressures affecting the marine environment. Increased cooperation across
borders within marine regions and subregions is also at the heart of the Marine
Directive. This report aims to meet the requirements
of Article 20 (2) of the MSFD: to assess the Directive's contribution to the
implementation of existing obligations, commitments and initiatives of the
Member States or the EU in the sphere of environmental protection in marine
waters. While recognising some constitute obligations
originating from international agreements, these various strands will be
addressed under the term 'commitments' for the purpose of this report. The Marine Directive translates a very
large number of international and EU commitments related to environmental
protection in the marine environment to the legal order of the Union. It also plays an important role in enhancing the coherence of the action of the EU
and its Member States under international agreements. The full breadth of these commitments has
been analysed in depth in the "Study on the contribution of the Marine
Strategy Framework Directive to existing international obligations"[3].
This report focuses on highlighting the MSFD contribution to essential
principles established at international level, to some key international
commitments, including Regional Sea Conventions and to major EU policies. 2. General principles of environment and
marine policy Some general environment principles agreed
at the international level, such as those of the Rio Declaration[4] are reflected, whenever
relevant, in the MSFD. These are reaffirmed in the Rio+20 outcome document
"The Future we want"[5]. 2.1. The ecosystem-based
approach is at the heart of the Marine Strategy Framework Directive The ecosystem-based approach to the
management of the marine environment is an essential feature of the MSFD. There
is no single internationally agreed definition of the approach, but its overall
aim is to ensure that the collective pressures of human activities do not
exceed levels that compromise the capacity of ecosystems to respond. Decisions taken by the Conference of
Parties to the UN Convention on Biodiversity (CBD) (COP Decisions V/6 and
VII/5), and the Johannesburg Plan of Implementation (JPoI) for instance, include
explicit requirements, reaffirmed at the Rio+20 conference, to adopt or follow
an ecosystem-based approach to the management of human activities affecting the
marine environment. The Marine Directive not only explicitly
refers to the ecosystem-based approach to management of the marine environment
as a guiding principle (recitals 8 and 44), but also requires its application
in marine strategies (Articles 1 and 3). Thus, by virtue of the MSFD, the
ecosystem-based approach becomes a legally-binding principle for the management
of the marine environment. 2.2. Integration of
environmental concerns into other policies, and integrated cross-sectoral
management of marine waters The need to integrate objectives of
environmental protection into socio-economic activities and other policies is
often stressed in international instruments, together with the necessity to
manage the marine environment and coastal areas in an integrated manner. These
requirements are in particular included in the Agenda 21[6] commitments, in CBD Decisions,
and confirmed in the Rio+20 outcome document. It is a fundamental principle of
the EU environmental policy stressed in the TFEU[7].
The MSFD explicitly makes this approach one of its objectives (Article 1(4)). Specific tools for integrated
cross-sectoral management of marine waters have been advanced at the
international level. The Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM) approach has
been developed as a management tool for coastal areas. The requirement to adopt
and implement ICZM is explicitly included in Agenda 21, and in the Protocol on
ICZM of the Barcelona Convention. The Marine Spatial Planning (MSP) process is
another complementary tool for addressing competing uses at sea whilst ensuring
protection of the environment, which has been developed and promoted at the
international level more recently (included in COP Decision X/29 of the CBD)
and is being developed in the context of the EU Integrated Maritime Policy
(IMP). By considering overall cumulative impacts,
rather than regulating specific uses in isolation, the Marine Directive
contributes to the implementation of an integrated management of the marine
waters. The Directive requires Member State to include spatial and temporal
distribution controls measures in their programmes of measures (Annex VI), such
as ICZM and MSP. 2.3. The precautionary
principle and the polluter pays principle in the marine environment The precautionary principle and the
polluter pays principle are two fundamental principles of environmental
protection policy and both have a basis in the TFEU[8]. Both are included in a number
of international instruments dealing with environment issues and are also
referred to specifically in relation to protection of the marine environment
since Agenda 21 (chap. 17.22), and the CBD (COP Decisions IV/5 and VIII/24). In line with these provisions, both
principles are included in the Marine Directive, as guiding principles for its
implementation, in recitals 27 and 44. In particular they are a basis for the
programmes of measures Member States must develop to ensure their marine waters
reach Good Environmental Status. 2.4. Knowledge-based adaptive
management and public information and participation The need for knowledge-based adaptive management
is also a key principle addressed in many international obligations[9]. With regard to the protection
of the marine environment, where there are still many uncertainties, this need
is of particular importance. By requiring an initial assessment (Article
8) and monitoring programmes (Article 11), the MSFD contributes to the global
review of the state of the marine environment. Furthermore, the Directive
ensures that the knowledge base thus established informs subsequent management
measures by requiring that the environmental targets (Article 10) and the
programmes of measures (Article 13) are based on the initial assessment. This
leads to the concept of adaptive management, explicit in the MSFD (Article 3
(5)), which requires updating marine strategies in a six-year cycle. This approach is fully coherent with the
commitment to develop a UN Regular Process for global reporting and assessment
of the state of the marine environment, which supports such knowledge-based
adaptive management. Access to information, public consultation
and education are also general principles promoted at the international level
in environmental commitments. The Aarhus Convention[10], in particular, is a specific
international agreement making this Rio principle operational. The Marine
Directive includes specific and explicit requirements (Article 19 and Annex VI
(8)) contributing to the implementation of these commitments. 3. Major international treaties and
Multilateral environmental agreements Beyond these general environment
principles, the Marine Directive makes a large number of more specific
commitments drawn from Multilateral Environmental Agreements and other
international agreements part of the EU's legal order for marine waters. 3.1. UNCLOS and IMO The United Nations Convention on the Law of
the Sea (UNCLOS) sets out the responsibilities and rights of nations with
regard to seas and oceans and includes a number of obligations in relation to
the protection and preservation of the marine environment. These cover, for
instance, provisions on monitoring and assessment of the state of the marine
environment, the prevention of pollution at sea and requirements for global and
regional cooperation. The Marine Directive recognizes and takes full account of
obligations under UNCLOS[11].
In addition, within its geographical scope, the Directive translates the UNCLOS
requirement for States to observe and measure the risks or effects of pollution
of the marine environment[12].
It also implements various other obligations requiring States to take measures
to prevent, reduce and control pollution of the marine environment from
land-based sources, to prevent pollution at sea of the seabed and the subsoil
and to prevent the introduction of non-indigenous species. The MSFD also
translates UNCLOS provisions as regards sustainable fisheries and aquaculture,
innovation and investment in research. Last but not least, it facilitates the
obligation of States under UNCLOS to cooperate to protect the marine
environment, through its emphasis on regional cooperation[13]. Some UNCLOS provisions, notably those on
limiting pollution at source and on developing environmental impact assessments
are also addressed by legislation outside the MSFD, such as the IPPC directive[14] and the EIA/SEA directives[15]. Much the same can be said of IMO rules,
such as those under MARPOL[16]
as modified by its 1987 protocol, or the OPRC Convention and its OPRC-HNS
protocol[17],
but also of the agreement for cooperation in dealing with pollution of the
North Sea by oil and other harmful substances (though outside IMO)[18]. There, a number of EU laws
complementary to the MSFD contribute practical solutions and mechanisms to
address the MSFD aims such as the Directive on Port State control[19], on waste reception facilities
in EU ports[20]
or the Council Decision establishing a Community Civil Protection Mechanism[21]. 3.2. The MSFD, a key
contribution to the implementation of international commitments on marine
biodiversity The Marine Directive is the first EU
legislative instrument explicitly related to the protection of marine
biodiversity in its entirety. It contains the specific regulatory objective
that "biodiversity is maintained by 2020", as the cornerstone for
achieving Good Environmental Status of oceans and seas. It therefore provides,
together with the Habitats and Bird Directives[22],
a strong policy and legal framework to comply with international commitments
related to the protection of marine biodiversity, such as those under the CBD
(mentioned in recital 18 of the MSFD), or the Convention on Trade in Endangered
Species. In addition to implementing the CBD's
ecosystem approach and principle of adaptive management, the MSFD also
addresses some of more specific requirements of the CBD, such as for example
the establishment of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs), which Member States must
include in their marine strategies, as part of an overall approach to
protecting the marine environment. In addition, the Directive will bring
together these MPAs set up under various other EU or international obligations
into one framework: a coherent and representative network of MPAs (see below 5). 3.3. The link to international
climate change commitments The Marine Directive concerns itself with
the impacts of climate change on oceans and, as such, contributes indirectly to
the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCC) and other instruments
dealing with this issue. The MSFD improves knowledge of climate
impacts on the marine environment. It requires Member States to consider, in
their initial assessments, various climate-related factors such as changes in
sea temperature and ice cover and ocean acidification. Member States' marine strategies under the
MSFD can also address adaptation to climate change. Given that pressures and
impacts may vary according to different patterns of human activity and the
impact of climate change, the determination of Good Environmental Status may
have to be adapted over time[23]. Finally, healthy oceans play an important
mitigation role, as carbon sinks. The marine area can be used for the purpose
of renewable energy generation, and carbon capture and storage (CCS). These are
human activities whose pressures and impacts need to be managed in the context
of the Directive. 4. The key role of Regional Sea Conventions Four Regional Sea Conventions (RSCs) cover
the marine waters of MSFD: the Convention for the Protection of Marine
Environment of the North East Atlantic (OSPAR), the Convention for the
Protection of the Marine Environment of the Baltic Sea (HELCOM), the Convention
for the Protection of the Marine Environment and the Coastal Region of the
Mediterranean (Barcelona Convention) and the Convention for the Protection of
the Black Sea against Pollution (Bucharest Convention)[24]. Some significant differences
exist between them, especially as far as the role of non-EU countries is
concerned (e.g. 9 out of 10 parties are EU Member States in the Baltic, 7 out
of 22 in the Mediterranean). The RSCs aim to improve regional governance
of the marine regions and to reinforce the protection of the marine
environment. The Marine Directive includes numerous provisions which aim at
ensuring that its implementation not only contributes, but also builds upon the
activities of the conventions, which cover EU marine regions or sub-regions. Article 6(1) clearly requires Member States
to use existing regional institutional cooperation structures, including those
under RSCs, to achieve coordination. Several of these Conventions have
expressly agreed to take up the function to facilitate the regional
implementation of the MSFD. Article 6(2) requires Member States to make every
effort, using relevant international forums, including mechanisms of the RSCs,
to coordinate their actions with third countries for the purpose of
establishing and implementing marine strategies, and to extend, where
appropriate, coordination and co-operation to all Member States including
land-locked countries. The MSFD ensures that RSCs and other
international agreements are taken into account at all stages of the
development of marine strategies, making sure that the methodologies used are
consistent across the marine regions or sub-regions and that transboundary
impacts are taken into account. On the other hand, the Marine Directive
contributes to the fulfilment of the obligations and important commitments of
the EU and the Member States under these RSCs. This includes, for example, obligations to
take all possible steps to prevent and eliminate pollution from sea-based and
land-based sources, including the impact of point source discharges on the
maritime environment. The RSCs have also integrated explicit commitments to
adopt or follow an ecosystem-based approach to the management of marine waters
and to conserve marine resources, including obligations to take measures to
protect and conserve ecosystems and the biological diversity such as
requirements to regulate the introduction of invasive species. The Marine
Directive takes up all these elements, as essential characteristics for
achieving Good Environmental Status. The RSCs also contain provisions on access
to information on the state of the marine environment, on the obligation of States
to undertake monitoring and research programmes and subsequent reporting
obligations, which are integrated in the Marine Directive (see section 2.4). 5. MSFD and other relevant EU policies Many EU policies affect the marine
environment, in particular those dealing with fisheries, transport, industry,
agriculture, regional development, research, energy, external relations, as
well as important elements of environment policy such as water. But these
policies are not specifically designed to protect the marine environment in a
coordinated manner. Accordingly, human activities impacting the marine
environment are addressed in a sector-by-sector manner. The MSFD aims at ensuring the coherence,
consistency and integration of measures taken pursuant to various other EU
legal instruments in order to meet its key objective. Therefore, as stipulated
by Article 20, when considering the contribution of the MSFD to international
obligations and commitments, it is necessary to take into account obligations
set and measures provided by other EU legislation at community level. The Water Framework Directive[25] (WFD) is closely linked to the
Marine Directive. It sets the goal of achieving Good Status for all EU ground
and surface waters, including coastal waters, by 2015, complementing the goal
of achieving Good Environmental Status under the Marine Directive. Actions
taken under the WFD will reduce marine pollution and nutrient input from
land-based sources and will protect ecosystems in coastal and transitional
waters, which are vital spawning grounds for many marine fish species. The requirement to carry out an
Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) for projects and activities in the EU, on
land and at sea is set out in the Directive 2011/92/EU; similar obligations
exist for the preparation of plans and programmes under Directive 2001/42/EC,
known as the Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) Directive. MSFD does not
expressly contain the requirement to carry out an SEA for plans and programmes
affecting the marine environment. However, the SEA applies on its own merits,
as confirmed by the Court of Justice[26],
provided that its conditions are met, in particular that the plan in question
sets the framework for future development of projects. Depending on their
content, marine strategies may have to be made subject to an SEA. Programmes of
measures are likely to have to undergo an SEA, as Annex VI of the MSFD foresees
that they may set the framework for future projects and activities. In addition the Habitats Directive[27](Article 6) requires an appropriate
assessment to be carried out for any plans or projects likely to have
significant effects on the special areas of conservation (SAC) established
under the Directive and special protection areas (SPA) established under the
Birds Directive. As these special areas of conservation contribute to the Marine
Protected Areas established under the MSFD, an assessment under Article 6 of
the Habitats Directive is normally required for marine strategies and
programmes of measures such activities. These assessments can be integrated
into SEA procedures. A number of high-level political
commitments on the protection of biodiversity have been made by the EU. The
headline target is to halt the loss of biodiversity and the degradation of
ecosystem services in the EU by 2020, and restoring them in so far as feasible.
These political objectives have been enshrined in the EU2020 Biodiversity
Strategy[28]
and are spelled out in specific targets and actions linked to the achievement
of the objective of the Marine Directive and other pieces of EU legislation
dealing with the protection of endangered species and the sustainable
exploitation of fish stocks. Under the Habitats and Birds Directives,
Member States are to ensure a favourable conservation status of a series of
marine habitats and species and a positive population status of all naturally
occurring marine species including migratory bird species. A large area of the
EU's coastal and marine areas has already or will be designated as Natura 2000
sites under these Directives. The MSFD recognises that the establishment of MPAs,
including Natura 2000 sites designated or to be designated under the Habitats
and Birds Directives, are an important contribution to the achievement of Good
Environmental Status and requires networks of MPAs to be included in programmes
of measures of the marine strategies (Article 13(4)). In addition, Article
13(4) of the MSFD requires that the networks of MPAs are coherent and
representative, adequately covering the diversity of the constituent ecosystems,
and expressly goes beyond Natura 2000 by extending such networks to those MPAs
established under the RSCs. Furthermore, Article 13(5) ensures that an explicit
link is made between the establishment of MPAs and possible measures under the
Common Fisheries Policy (CFP). The MSFD thus acts in this case specifically as
a framework within which existing measures can be integrated and complemented
with new initiatives. For the regulation of fishery and
aquaculture activities, the CFP sets out a collaborative approach to managing
the EU’s shared fisheries. The proposed reform of the CFP in 2011[29] requires all stock to be above
levels capable of producing maximum sustainable yield and to take into account
the environmental impacts of fishing. It requires expressly integrating the
objectives of the MSFD. Thus the Marine Directive complements the CFP,
providing the link between fishery policies and other essential aspects of
environmental protection (such as biodiversity conservation, protection of
habitats and associated species). Various EU legislative instruments have an
impact on the degree of pollution of the marine environment down the line, such
as the Nitrates Directive[30],
the Priority Substances Directive[31],
and the Waste Framework Directive[32].
The MSFD complements these particular pieces of EU legislation. There are also close linkages between the
Marine Directive and the EU civil protection policy which establishes a
framework for cooperation at EU level for managing all types of disasters in
all phases of the disaster management cycle, including prevention,
preparedness, response and recovery[33]. The Marine Directive is also the
environmental pillar of the Integrated Maritime Policy (IMP). Its function is
highlighted in a range of developments under the IMP, including marine spatial
planning, marine knowledge and regional strategies. As such, the Marine Directive gives
direction and contributes to the implementation of several obligations,
commitments and initiatives at EU level, ensuring their sustainability and
contributing to the objective of wider coherence set out in its Article 1(4). 6. Looking at the future: the MSFD and the
implementation of the Rio+20 outcome The Rio+20 outcome document, "The
Future We Want", reflects a number of concepts contained in the Marine
Directive. It comprises the commitment to protect, and restore, the health,
productivity and resilience of oceans and marine ecosystems, and to maintain
their biodiversity, enabling their conservation and sustainable use for present
and future generations. It stresses the need to effectively apply an ecosystem
approach and the precautionary approach in the management of activities having
an impact on the marine environment. The document also contains specific
commitments, including the need for coordinated strategies to combat pollution,
to take action to significantly reduce marine debris by 2025, or to take action
on invasive species. The MSFD will be one of the main EU policies to implement Rio+20 marine commitments in the EU. A major decision at Rio was also to
address, on an urgent basis, the issue of the conservation and sustainable use
of marine biological diversity of areas beyond national jurisdiction, including
by taking a decision on the development of an international instrument under
UNCLOS. In pursuing this objective, the need to maintain marine biodiversity as
agreed at Rio and stipulated by the MSFD, should be taken into consideration,
together with sectorial actions agreed at Rio, particularly on fisheries. These
include the need to intensify our efforts to meet the 2015 target to maintain
or restore stocks to levels that can produce maximum sustainable yield[34] on an urgent basis and to
enhance action to manage by catch, discards and other adverse impacts on
ecosystems from fisheries, including by eliminating destructive fishing practices. In addition, the MSFD, like the CBD,
combines protection and sustainable use and is indispensable to the pursuit of
a green economy. On the basis of the Rio+20 outcome, the EU will continue to
support a "blue economy", which extends the principles of the green
economy inter alia to the conservation and sustainable use of marine resources. 7. Conclusion The MSFD is a framework directive that
promotes an integrated and adaptive management approach to human activities
affecting the marine environment. By its very nature, it is a flexible policy
instrument to translate international commitments into EU policies for EU
waters. In the future, this flexibility, including its regular 6 year cycle for
updating marine strategies, will allow it to adapt to new commitments, such as
for instance, those stemming from Rio+20 and its follow-up. Given the Marine Directive's geographical
scope, which does not extend to the high seas, not all international
commitments on the marine environment are within its remit. In a number of other
cases different EU legislative instruments are better adapted to implement
international commitments in specific sectors. One positive finding is that
they increasingly work in synergy with the mechanisms of the MSFD and
contribute to its objectives. The Marine Directive is now entering a
crucial phase in its implementation through the preparation of initial
assessments, the determination of Good Environmental Status and the
establishment of environmental targets by the Member States which will be
analysed for adequacy and coherence by the European Commission. The level of
ambition with which the many international commitments addressed by the MSFD
will be implemented in Member States is therefore strongly linked to the way in
which Good Environmental Status is defined and to the subsequent full
implementation at national level of the Directive's provisions. In this context, the Regional Sea
Conventions will continue to play a very important role, and they will be
closely involved in the follow-up to the first implementation milestones of the
Marine Directive, ensuring better coherence of national approaches within their
region. [1] Directive 2008/56/EC of the European Parliament and
of the Council of 17 June 2008 establishing a framework for community action in
the field of marine environmental policy (Marine Strategy Framework Directive)
OJ L 164, 25.6.2008. [2] The 11 descriptors are 1. Biodiversity is maintained;
2. Non-indigenous species do not adversely alter the ecosystem; 3. Populations
of commercial fish species are healthy; 4. Elements of food webs ensure
long-term abundance and reproduction; 5. Eutrophication is minimised; 6. Sea
floor integrity ensures the functioning of the ecosystem; 7. Permanent
alteration of hydrographical conditions does not adversely affect the
ecosystem; 8. Concentrations of contaminants have no effects; 9. Contaminants
in seafood are within safe levels; 10. Marine litter does not cause harm; 11.
Introduction of energy (including underwater noise) does not adversely affect
the ecosystem. [3] http://ec.europa.eu/environment/marine/ [4] The Rio Declaration on Environment and Development,
from the 1992 United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED),
proclaimed 27 fundamental principles intended to guide future decisions and
policies considering the environmental implications of socio-economic
development. [5] A/CONF.216/L.1. [6] Agenda 21 is a non-binding blueprint and global
action plan for sustainable development, agreed at the 1992 UNCED http://www.un.org/esa/dsd/agenda21/. [7] Article 11 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the
European Union (TFEU). [8] Article 191 TFEU. [9] Agenda 21, the CBD, the UN Regular Process promote
adaptive management, and most Regional Sea Conventions have reflected this
approach in their instruments. [10] Convention on Access to Information, Public
Participation in Decision-Making and Access to Justice in Environmental Matters,
of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe, adopted in 1998. [11] See MSFD recital 17. [12] See MSFD Article 11 and Annex V. [13] See MSFD article 6. [14] Integrated Pollution Prevention and Control Directive 2008/1/EC, OJ L 24,
29.1.2008, p. 8–29 [15] Directives 2011/92/EU and 2001/42/EC. [16] The International Convention for the Prevention of
Pollution from Ships (MARPOL). [17] The International Convention on Oil Pollution
Preparedness, Response and Co-operation and the Protocol on Preparedness,
Response and Co-operation to pollution Incidents by Hazardous and Noxious
Substances. [18] Agreement for cooperation in dealing with pollution of
the North Sea by oil and other harmful substances. [19] Directive 2009/16/EC, OJ L 131,
28.5.2009, p. 57–100. [20] Directive 2000/59/EC, OJ L 332,
28.12.2000, p. 81–90, as last amended by Regulation (EC) No
1137/2008. [21] Council Decision 2007/779/EC, Euratom (recast). [22] Directive 92/43/EEC on the conservation of natural
habitats and of wild fauna and flora and Birds Directive codified
2009/147/EC, OJ L 20, 26.1.2010, p. 7–25. [23] Recital 34. [24] See MSFD recital 19. [25] Directive 2000/60/EC of the
European Parliament and of the Council of 23 October 2000 establishing a
framework for Community action in the field of water policy. OJ L 327 on 22.12.2000. [26] See cases C-105/09 and C-295/10. [27] COUNCIL DIRECTIVE 92/43/EEC of 21 May 1992 on the
conservation of natural habitats and of wild fauna and flora (OJ L 206,
22.7.1992, p. 7). [28] COM (2011) 244 final. Our life insurance, our natural
capital: an EU biodiversity strategy to 2020. [29] COM(2011) 425 final. Proposal for a Regulation of the
European Parliament and the Council on the Common Fisheries Policy. [30] Directive 91/676/EEC, OJ L 375,
31.12.1991, p. 1–8, as last amended by Regulation (EC) No 1137/2008
(OJ L 311, 21.11.2008, p. 1–54 ). [31] Directive 2008/105/EC, OJ L 348,
24.12.2008, p. 84–97. [32] Directive 2008/98/EC, OJ L 312,
22.11.2008, p.3-30. [33] Council Decision 2007/779/EC, Euratom
(recast) establishing a Community Civil Protection Mechanism. [34] A target first agreed at the Johannesburg World Summit
on Sustainable Development in 2002.