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  Ocean plastics
  Sustainable and innovative solutions to tackle the plastics crisis in our oceans and seas

  The prevalence of plastic in our rivers, seas and oceans, has become an incredibly topical issue over the past few years with many raising the alarm about an impending environmental disaster. Yet plastics are a vital material in our modern society and play an important role in our daily lives. U...

  The prevalence of plastic in our rivers, seas and oceans, has become an incredibly topical issue over the past few years with many raising the alarm about an impending environmental disaster. Yet plastics are a vital material in our modern society and play an important role in our daily lives. Unfortunately, our oceans and seas are already heavily polluted with plastic, which can be found in even the remotest areas such as the Arctic. Every year, between 4.8 and 12.7 million tonnes of plastic end up in the ocean, posing severe environmental, economic, health and aesthetic problems. The EU is taking concrete political actions to address this growing environmental crisis. Strong and robust research is required to ensure that policymaking is based on sound scientific evidence and that can point the way on what can be achieved. This flyer summarises eight EU-funded projects that feature in our CORDIS Results Pack on Ocean Plastics and all of them are working to find new, sustainable and achievable solutions to help us address, and ultimately overcome, this global problem.

  • Published: 2019-03-19
  • Corporate Author(s): Publications Office
  • Subject: environmental protection, EU research policy, innovation, marine pollution, ocean, plastics, prevention of pollution, project of common interest, sea
• JOINT STAFF WORKING DOCUMENT Accompanying the document JOINT REPORT TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND THE COUNCIL Improving International Ocean Governance - Two years of progress

  • Published: 2019-03-15
  • Corporate Author(s): Directorate-General for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries (European Commission) ; European Commission
  • Subject: environmental protection, fishery management, green economy, international cooperation, maritime economy, maritime safety, ocean, scientific research, sea, sustainable fisheries
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  Marine chemical contaminants
  Support to the harmonization of MSFD D8 methodological standards : matrices and threshold values/reference levels for relevant substances

  According to the Article 17(2) of the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD), Member States review and update their marine strategies every six years. This requires updates of the MSFD Articles 8, 9 and 10 by 2018. The current report provides an overview of the substances, matrices and thres...

  According to the Article 17(2) of the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD), Member States review and update their marine strategies every six years. This requires updates of the MSFD Articles 8, 9 and 10 by 2018. The current report provides an overview of the substances, matrices and threshold values that Member States intend to use for the assessment of the Descriptor 8 in this MSFD reporting cycle. This compilation helps evaluate existing gaps as well as differences between Member States and so identify aspects that need further harmonization. It also helps understand which issues should be addressed to achieve consistency with the new MSFD Commission Decision (EU 2017/848). The information has been gathered from the contributions of the MSFD Expert Network on Contaminants, an informal network established by the Joint Research Centre (JRC) to support the MSFD implementation. This work is part of a process to help regulators to assess relevant contaminants in their jurisdictional area, thus aiming at EU national authorities but also at Regional Sea Conventions in the shared marine regions.

  • Published: 2019-01-30
  • Corporate Author(s): Joint Research Centre (European Commission)
  • Personal Author(s): Haber, A ; Serrano, A ; León, V. M ; Cauwer, K. de ; Campillo, J. A ; Parmentier, K ; Bellas, J ; Lušić, J ; Coatu, V ; Kamman, U ; Oros, A ; Mannio, J ; Viñas, L ; Ausili, A ; Porsbring, T ; Tornero, V ; Dimitrova, S ; Mauffret, A ; Wessel, N ; Maggi, C ; Zalewska, T ; Korsjukov, M ; Pirntke, U ; Nicolaus, E. E. M ; Laht, M ; McGovern, E ; Hatzianestis, I ; Hanke, G ; Munch Christensen, A ; Bijstra, D ; Antoniadis, K ; Kamenova, K ; McHugh, B
  • Subject: aquatic environment, coastal protection, environmental monitoring, environmental protection, environmental research, environmental standard, EU Member State, marine ecosystem, marine pollution, pollution control, research report, sea, water pollutant, water pollution
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  Marine litter database
  Lessons learned in compiling the first pan-European beach litter database

  Marine litter is a global concern that represents a threat to all life in the oceans and seas. Reducing litter in the marine environment is recognised as a priority challenge to help preserve the ecosystem and human health. Marine litter, in particular marine plastics, and its reduction is at th...

  Marine litter is a global concern that represents a threat to all life in the oceans and seas. Reducing litter in the marine environment is recognised as a priority challenge to help preserve the ecosystem and human health. Marine litter, in particular marine plastics, and its reduction is at the core of political action through the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD), the EU Strategy for Plastics in a Circular Economy and the EU Waste Legislation. Quantifying the amount of litter items present in the marine ecosystem is a matter of concern for the MSFD and in general for policies that aim to tackle marine litter. EU marine litter data quality and data management are defined by a complex system of datasets, in which a heterogeneity of protocols are still in use at regional and national levels. In accordance with the implementation of Good Environmental Status (GES) and other aspects of the MSFD, adopting consistent and harmonised criteria and methodological standards ensures consistency of data and the possibility of meaningful comparison between marine regions and subregions. Defining the best possible data management strategy and identifying the most valuable methodology have been pursued by the Joint Research Council (JRC) and the European Marine Observation and Data Network (EMODnet) Chemistry network, within the TG Litter, with the main goal of delivering a single database able to handle marine litter data at European scale. This report proposes a tailor-made standard procedure on a European scale and lists challenges and hindrances faced during the compilation of beach litter data collected by the countries bordering the European seas, generating the first pan-European beach litter database. The analysis has primarily involved data from 22 European countries and four marine regions. In total 3 063 surveys were performed on 389 European beaches over the period 2012 to 2016. In addition, data from non-European countries facing the seas around Europe have also been included in the database. The biggest challenge faced during the data-compiling phase was dealing with the heterogeneity related to differences in data formats, data quality and protocols used during the beach surveys. A huge effort has been made to handle a varied set of data to guarantee efficient management of the data. The resulting harmonised marine litter database will be made accessible through the EMODnet Chemistry website. A more dynamic and tailored set of products, including datasets and maps for other marine litter compartments, is currently in development. Furthermore, this report gives a complete outlook on further harmonisation approaches in other marine litter topics. The report also provides inputs to develop and implement the most efficient management of data to facilitate data-driven decisions in European policies.

  • Published: 2019-01-03
  • Corporate Author(s): Joint Research Centre (European Commission)
  • Personal Author(s): Addamo, Anna Maria ; Chaves Montero, Maria del Mar ; Vinci, Matteo ; Brosich, Alberto ; Hanke, Georg ; Giorgetti, Alessandra ; Molina Jack, Maria Eugenia
  • Subject: anti-pollution device, aquatic environment, coastal protection, consumer behaviour, data collection, database, environmental monitoring, environmental protection, environmental research, marine ecosystem, marine pollution, pollution control, research report, sea, water pollutant, water pollution
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  Top Marine Beach Litter Items in Europe
  A review and synthesis based on beach litter data

  Reducing litter in the coastal and marine environment is a major and priority challenge in the effort to preserve biota, ecosystems, as well as goods and services that humans derive from seas and oceans. The identification of the most abundant beach litter items, the 'Top Marine Beach Litter Ite...

  Reducing litter in the coastal and marine environment is a major and priority challenge in the effort to preserve biota, ecosystems, as well as goods and services that humans derive from seas and oceans. The identification of the most abundant beach litter items, the 'Top Marine Beach Litter Items', is a matter of concern for the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD), the EU Plastics Strategy and in general for the prioritisation of measures against marine litter. Specific measures are needed to prevent further inputs and reduce the abundance of litter items. Based on a 2016 beach litter data set, this report has identified the most abundant items on EU beaches. A total of 355 671 marine litter items were recorded during 679 surveys on 276 European beaches. The quantification of items through beach litter monitoring enables a ranking of items based on their numerical abundance. While a few studies from regional sea conventions (RSCs), non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and research projects have ranked items by their occurrence on beaches at different spatial scales, there had been no EU-wide analysis before this report. This report has been developed by the European Commission's Joint Research Centre (JRC) within the MSFD Technical Group on Marine Litter (TG Marine Litter). It compiles available studies and publications of lists of the main marine beach litter items. While several publications describe and apply different calculation methods, which might lead to different results, this report applies the 'total abundance method' to a set of European beach litter data that had been collected by the TG Marine Litter. Data is based on a one-year sampling exercise (2016) and includes the findings of monitoring programmes, clean-up campaigns and research projects. The results of the report (which also address single-use products) are provided to support the development of the EU Plastics Strategy. The data analysis involved the grouping of spatial-temporal data at European, regional and national levels, and includes the seasonal variability of beach litter. This report also gives a brief review of potential item-related risk, and prioritisation based on their potential to harm. The report provides information that will help develop and implement the most efficient measures against marine litter.

  • Published: 2018-08-29
  • Corporate Author(s): Joint Research Centre (European Commission) ; MSFD Technical Group on Marine Litter
  • Personal Author(s): Addamo, Anna Maria ; Laroche, Perrine ; Hanke, Georg
  • Subject: anti-pollution device, data collection, data processing, environmental indicator, environmental protection, marine pollution, pollution control, prevention of pollution, protection of animals, research report, sea, water pollutant
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  Market study on ocean energy
  Final report

  The scope of this study is to: - estimate the financial needs of the ocean energy sector in the EU; - identify and analyse potential financing gaps and possible financing solutions; - analyse recommendations of the ocean energy roadmap in that context. Three scenarios have been developed: Optimi...

  The scope of this study is to: - estimate the financial needs of the ocean energy sector in the EU; - identify and analyse potential financing gaps and possible financing solutions; - analyse recommendations of the ocean energy roadmap in that context. Three scenarios have been developed: Optimistic, (all projects in the pipeline are deployed and start at the proposed date), Medium (all projects are deployed, but some are delayed), Pessimistic (projects are delayed and some are cancelled).

  • Published: 2018-06-20
  • Corporate Author(s): COGEA ; Directorate-General for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries (European Commission) ; WavEC
  • Subject: data collection, energy industry, energy policy, energy research, hydroelectric power, market research, ocean, renewable energy, report, resources of the sea, sea, soft energy, tidal energy, wave energy
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  Towards an initiative for the sustainable development of the blue economy in the western Mediterranean
  Stakeholder conference Barcelona, February 2, 2017 : summary of discussions and outcomes

  Within the objective of developing a maritime initiative for the western Mediterranean, active engagement with stakeholders forms the heart of the approach. Such engagement is crucial, not only to validate findings and ensure that interests and concerns are properly taken into account, but also ...

  Within the objective of developing a maritime initiative for the western Mediterranean, active engagement with stakeholders forms the heart of the approach. Such engagement is crucial, not only to validate findings and ensure that interests and concerns are properly taken into account, but also to strengthen commitment and engagement for the actions that will be proposed. To this end, consultations have been carried out both onand offline over the last year. They have been aimed at the whole maritime community situated around and using the western Mediterranean. An essential and consolidating step in gathering views from actors and the community has been the Stakeholder Conference, held on the 2nd of February 2017 in Barcelona, Spain. The conference was organised by the European Commission in close cooperation with the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) Secretariat and the participating countries. With about 200 participants discussing main areas of cooperation and priorities for the ‘westMED Initiative’, the conference offered an important chance to present, discuss and finalise the main features of the western Mediterranean Initiative and its action plan. The conference was structured around two plenary sessions at the beginning and the end of the day, with six different thematic panels in between. Taken together, they covered all relevant aspects included in the Initiative, that were discussed in detail by a wide range of stakeholders. Outcomes of the conference were reported and have constituted valid information as input to the final stages for the preparation of a Framework for Action. Participants had at their disposal the already published ‘Non paper’ based on the context analysis, a report on Findings and Recommendations from stakeholder involvement in Phase 1 and a report on the Assessment of feasibility and added value to support a possible sustainable blue economy Initiative for the western Mediterranean.

  • Published: 2018-02-19
  • Corporate Author(s): Executive Agency for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (European Commission)
  • Subject: Community fisheries, conservation of fish stocks, conservation of resources, environmental policy, environmental protection, exploitation of the seas, maritime area, Mediterranean Sea, ocean, report, resources of the sea, sea, sustainable development
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  Towards an initiative for the sustainable development of the blue economy in the western Mediterranean
  Goals and priorities

  • Published: 2018-02-19
  • Corporate Author(s): Executive Agency for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (European Commission)
  • Subject: Community fisheries, conservation of fish stocks, conservation of resources, environmental policy, environmental protection, exploitation of the seas, maritime area, Mediterranean Sea, ocean, resources of the sea, sea, sustainable development
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  Hydro-economic assessment of the potential of PV-RO desalinated seawater supply in the Mediterranean region
  Modelling concept and analysis of water transport costs

  Seawater desalination, although a traditional source of water in arid and water-scarce regions, is receiving attention worldwide due to the growing concern on dwindling traditional water resources. Desalination entails significant energy consumption, which may be unsustainable when the latter is...

  Seawater desalination, although a traditional source of water in arid and water-scarce regions, is receiving attention worldwide due to the growing concern on dwindling traditional water resources. Desalination entails significant energy consumption, which may be unsustainable when the latter is provided by fossil fuels. However, renewable energy sources may make desalination more attractive. Until now, desalination has been regarded as a local source of freshwater for coastal areas or islands, but the mapping of regions suitable to be supplied with desalinated seawater has been seldom addressed systematically. Caldera et al., 2016, present a global scale analysis based on a simplified representation of water demand and energy requirements for desalinated water production and transport, suggesting that desalinated seawater could be supplied in water-stressed regions of the world by 2030, using renewable energy only, at a cost between 0.59 and 2.81 Euro/m3. While their analysis provides general indications at global scale, the specificity of regions arising from topography, the distribution of population and land use may warrant a more detailed inspection. Appraising the potential of renewable energy seawater desalination as a water resource requires quantifying its costs of production (construction, operation and maintenance of desalination plants), as well as the costs of transporting desalinated water from the coastal production sites to potential users inland. In this contribution, we describe the cost elements concurring to the total cost of desalinated seawater, and we quantify the component of costs associated to water transport from a coastal production site to the final users inland. We limit our analysis to the case of using renewable energy, and specifically photovoltaic (PV) energy, to feed plants based on reverse osmosis (RO) technology, currently representing a common choice by desalination engineers. We develop our cost analysis assuming PV to contribute 100% of energy used in both production and transport of desalinated water. Finally, we outline the envisaged steps towards a prioritization of investments in desalination in the Mediterranean.

  • Published: 2018-01-11
  • Corporate Author(s): Joint Research Centre (European Commission)
  • Personal Author(s): Dorati, C ; Huld, T.A ; Pistocchi, A ; Salas Herrero, F
  • Subject: costing, Mediterranean Sea, pipeline transport, research report, saltwater, sea, water resources, water supply, water treatment
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  Sustainable blue economy
  Productive seas and oceans

  There is no doubt that the Earth’s survival will depend on the protection and sustainable management of our seas and oceans and the resources they provide. This is recognised by the joint communication on international ocean governance, which is an integral part of the EU’s response to the Unite...

  There is no doubt that the Earth’s survival will depend on the protection and sustainable management of our seas and oceans and the resources they provide. This is recognised by the joint communication on international ocean governance, which is an integral part of the EU’s response to the United Nations’ 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and in particular to the targets set out by Sustainable Development Goal 14 (SDG 14) to 'conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources'. This report demonstrates how the results of recent research and innovation (R&I) projects funded by the European Union contribute to four areas of policy challenges related to the EU’s blue economy: international cooperation on the Atlantic Ocean; effective use of maritime space; sustainable and safe marine food production/ feeding the world; healthy marine and coastal environments. The EU’s seventh framework programme for research and development (FP7) and Horizon 2020 have funded over 1 200 blue-economy-related projects, over 40 of which were analysed in the context of the four selected policy challenges. Based on their results, seven key policy recommendations for a strong European blue economy are proposed.

  • Published: 2017-11-07
  • Corporate Author(s): Directorate-General for Research and Innovation (European Commission)
  • Subject: Community fisheries, conservation of fish stocks, conservation of resources, environmental policy, environmental protection, exploitation of the seas, maritime area, ocean, report, resources of the sea, sea, sustainable development