Decision 2017/848 - Criteria and methodological standards on good environmental status of marine waters and specifications and standardised methods for monitoring and assessment - Main contents

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

L 125/43

Commission Decision 2010/477/EU (2) established criteria to be used by the Member States to determine the good environmental status of their marine waters and to guide their assessments of that status in the first implementation cycle of Directive 2008/56/EC.

Decision 2010/477/EU acknowledged that additional scientific and technical progress was required to support the development or revision of those criteria for some qualitative descriptors, as well as further development of methodological standards in close coordination with the establishment of monitoring programmes. In addition, that Decision stated that it would be appropriate to carry out its revision as soon as possible after the completion of the assessment required under Article 12 of Directive 2008/56/EC, in time to support a successful update of marine strategies that are due by 2018, pursuant to Article 17 of Directive 2008/56/EC.

In 2012, on the basis of the initial assessment of their marine waters made pursuant to Article 8(1) of Directive 2008/56/EC, Member States reported on the environmental status of their marine waters and notified to the Commission their determination of good environmental status and their environmental targets in accordance with Articles 9(2) and 10(2) of Directive 2008/56/EC, respectively. The Commission's assessment (3) of those Member State reports, undertaken in accordance with Article 12 of Directive 2008/56/EC, highlighted that more efforts were urgently needed if Member States are to reach good environmental status by 2020. The results showed the necessity to significantly improve the quality and coherence of the determination of good environmental status by the Member States. In addition, the assessment recognised that regional cooperation must be at the very heart of the implementation of Directive 2008/56/EC. It also emphasised the need for Member States to more systematically build upon standards stemming from Union legislation or, where they do not exist, upon standards set by Regional Sea Conventions or other international agreements.

To ensure that the second cycle of implementation of the marine strategies of the Member States further contributes to the achievement of the objectives of Directive 2008/56/EC and yields more consistent determinations of good environmental status, the Commission recommended in its report on the first phase of implementation that, at Union level, the Commission services and Member States collaborate to revise, strengthen and improve Decision 2010/477/EU, aiming at a clearer, simpler, more concise, more coherent and comparable set of good environmental status criteria and methodological standards and, at the same time, review Annex III of Directive 2008/56/EC, and if necessary revise it, and develop specific guidance to ensure a more coherent and consistent approach for assessments in the next implementation cycle.

On the basis of those conclusions, the review process started in 2013 when a roadmap, consisting of several phases (technical and scientific, consultation, and decision-making), was endorsed by the Regulatory Committee established under Article 25(1) of Directive 2008/56/EC. During this process, the Commission consulted all interested parties, including Regional Sea Conventions.

In order to facilitate future updates of the initial assessment of Member States' marine waters and their determination of good environmental status, and to ensure greater coherence in implementation of Directive 2008/56/EC across the Union, it is necessary to clarify, revise or introduce criteria, methodological standards, specifications and standardised methods to be used by Member States, compared to the elements currently set out in Decision 2010/477/EU. As a result, the number of criteria that Member States need to monitor and assess should be reduced, applying a risk-based approach to those which are retained in order to allow Member States to focus their efforts on the main anthropogenic pressures affecting their waters. Finally, the criteria and their use should be further specified, including providing for threshold values or the setting thereof, thereby allowing for the extent to which good environmental status is achieved to be measured across the Union's marine waters.

In accordance with the commitment taken by the Commission when adopting its communication to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions: ‘Better regulation for better results — An EU agenda’ (4), this Decision should ensure coherence with other Union legislation. To ensure greater consistency and comparability at Union level of Member States' determinations of good environmental status and avoid unnecessary overlaps, it is appropriate to take into account relevant existing standards and methods for monitoring and assessment laid down in Union legislation, including Council Directive 92/43/EEC (5), Directive 2000/60/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council (6), Commission Regulation (EC) No 1881/2006 (7), Council Regulation (EC) No 1967/2006 (8), Directive 2008/105/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council (9), Directive 2009/147/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council (10) and Regulation (EU) No 1380/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council (11).

For each of the qualitative descriptors listed in Annex I to Directive 2008/56/EC, and on the basis of the indicative lists in Annex III to that Directive, it is necessary to define the criteria, including the criteria elements and, where appropriate, the threshold values, to be used. Threshold values are intended to contribute to Member States' determination of a set of characteristics for good environmental status and inform their assessment of the extent to which good environmental status is being achieved. It is also necessary to set out methodological standards, including the geographic scales for assessment and how the criteria should be used. Those criteria and methodological standards are to ensure consistency and allow for comparison, between marine regions or subregions, of assessments of the extent to which good environmental status is being achieved.

To ensure comparability between the details of any updates by the Member States following the reviews of certain elements of their marine strategies, sent under Article 17(3) of Directive 2008/56/EC, specifications and standardised methods for monitoring and assessment should be defined, taking into account existing specifications and standards at Union or international level, including regional or subregional level.

Member States should apply the criteria, methodological standards, specifications and standardised methods for monitoring and assessment laid down in this Decision in combination with the ecosystem elements, anthropogenic pressures and human activities listed in the indicative lists of Annex III to Directive 2008/56/EC and by reference to the initial assessment made pursuant to Article 8(1) of that Directive, when determining a set of characteristics for good environmental status in accordance with Article 9(1) of that Directive, and when establishing coordinated monitoring programmes under Article 11 of that Directive.

In order to establish a clear link between the determination of a set of characteristics for good environmental status and the assessment of progress towards its achievement, it is appropriate to organise the criteria and methodological standards on the basis of the qualitative descriptors laid down in Annex I to Directive 2008/56/EC, taking into account the indicative lists of ecosystem elements, anthropogenic pressures and human activities laid down in Annex III to that Directive. Some of those criteria and methodological standards relate in particular to the assessment of environmental status or of predominant pressures and impacts under points (a) or (b) of Article 8(1) of Directive 2008/56/EC, respectively.

In cases where no threshold values are laid down, Member States should establish threshold values through Union, regional or subregional cooperation, for instance by referring to existing values or developing new ones in the framework of the Regional Sea Conventions. In cases where threshold values should be established through cooperation at Union level (for the descriptors on marine litter, underwater noise and seabed integrity), this will be done in the framework of the Common Implementation Strategy set up by the Member States and the Commission for the purposes of Directive 2008/56/EC. Once established through Union, regional or subregional cooperation, these threshold values will only become part of Member States' sets of characteristics for good environmental status when they are sent to the Commission as part of Member States' reporting under Article 17(3) of Directive 2008/56/EC. Until such threshold values are established through Union, regional or subregional cooperation, Member States should be able to use national threshold values, directional trends or pressure-based threshold values as proxies.

Threshold values should reflect, where appropriate, the quality level that reflects the significance of an adverse effect for a criterion and should be set in relation to a reference condition. Threshold values should be consistent with Union legislation and set at appropriate geographic scales to reflect the different biotic and abiotic characteristics of the regions, subregions and subdivisions. This means that even if the process to establish threshold values takes place at Union level, this may result in the setting of different threshold values, which are specific to a region, subregion or subdivision. Threshold values should also be set on the basis of the precautionary principle, reflecting the potential risks to the marine environment. The setting of threshold values should accommodate the dynamic nature of marine ecosystems and their elements, which can change in space and time through hydrological and climatic variation, predator-prey relationships and other environmental factors. Threshold values should also reflect the fact that marine ecosystems may recover, if deteriorated, to a state that reflects prevailing physiographic, geographic, climatic and biological conditions, rather than return to a specific state of the past.

In accordance with Article 1(3) of Directive 2008/56/EC, the collective pressure of human activities needs to be kept within levels compatible with the achievement of good environmental status, ensuring that the capacity of marine ecosystems to respond to human-induced changes is not compromised. This may entail, where appropriate, that threshold values for certain pressures and their environmental impacts are not necessarily achieved in all areas of Member States' marine waters, provided that this does not compromise the achievement of the objectives of Directive 2008/56/EC, while enabling the sustainable use of marine goods and services.

It is necessary to lay down threshold values which will be part of the set of characteristics used by Member States in their determination of good environmental status in accordance with Article 9(1) of Directive 2008/56/EC, and the extent to which the threshold values are to be achieved. Threshold values therefore do not, by themselves, constitute Member States' determinations of good environmental status.

Member States should express the extent to which good environmental status is being achieved as the proportion of their marine waters over which the threshold values have been achieved or as the proportion of criteria elements (species, contaminants, etc.) that have achieved the threshold values. When assessing the status of their marine waters in accordance with Article 17(2)(a) of Directive 2008/56/EC, Member States should express any change in status as improving, stable or deteriorating compared to the previous reporting period, in view of the often slow response of the marine environment to change.

Where threshold values, set in accordance with this Decision, are not met for a particular criterion, Member States should consider taking appropriate measures or carrying out further research or investigation.

Where Member States are required to cooperate at regional or subregional level, they should use, where practical and appropriate, existing regional institutional cooperation structures, including those under Regional Sea Conventions, as provided under Article 6 of Directive 2008/56/EC. Similarly, in the absence of specific criteria, methodological standards, including for integration of the criteria, specifications and standardised methods for monitoring and assessment, Member States should build upon, where practical and appropriate, those developed at international, regional or subregional level, for instance those agreed in the framework of the Regional Sea Conventions, or other international mechanisms. Otherwise, Member States may choose to coordinate amongst themselves within the region or subregion, where relevant. In addition, a Member State may also decide, on the basis of the specificities of its marine waters, to consider additional elements not laid down in this Decision and not dealt with at international, regional or subregional level, or to consider applying elements of this Decision to its transitional waters, as defined in Article 2(6) of Directive 2000/60/EC, in support of the implementation of Directive 2008/56/EC.

Member States should have sufficient flexibility, under specified conditions, to focus on the predominant pressures and their environmental impacts on the different ecosystem elements in each region or subregion in order to monitor and assess their marine waters in an efficient and effective manner and to facilitate prioritisation of actions to be taken to achieve good environmental status. For that purpose, firstly, Member States should be able to consider that some of the criteria are not appropriate to apply, provided this is justified. Secondly, Member States should have the possibility to decide not to use certain criteria elements or to select additional elements or to focus on certain matrices or areas of their marine waters, provided that this is based on a risk assessment in relation to the pressures and their impacts. Finally, a distinction should be introduced between primary and secondary criteria. While primary criteria should be used to ensure consistency across the Union, flexibility should be granted with regard to secondary criteria. The use of a secondary criterion should be decided by Member States, where necessary, to complement a primary criterion or when, for a particular criterion, the marine environment is at risk of not achieving or not maintaining good environmental status.

Criteria, including threshold values, methodological standards, specifications and standardised methods for monitoring and assessment should be based on the best available science. However, additional scientific and technical progress is still required to support the further development of some of them, and should be used as the knowledge and understanding become available.

Decision 2010/477/EU should therefore be repealed.

The measures provided for in this Decision are in accordance with the opinion of the Regulatory Committee,

criteria and methodological standards to be used by Member States when determining a set of characteristics for good environmental status in accordance with Article 9(1) of Directive 2008/56/EC, on the basis of Annexes I and III and by reference to the initial assessment made pursuant to Article 8(1) of that Directive, to assess the extent to which good environmental status is being achieved, in accordance with Article 9(3) of that Directive;

specifications and standardised methods for monitoring and assessment, to be used by Member States when establishing coordinated monitoring programmes under Article 11 of Directive 2008/56/EC, in accordance with Article 11(4) of that Directive;

a timeline for the establishment of threshold values, lists of criteria elements and methodological standards through Union, regional or subregional cooperation;

a notification requirement for criteria elements, threshold values and methodological standards.

‘subregions’ means the subregions listed in Article 4(2) of Directive 2008/56/EC;

‘subdivisions’ means subdivisions as referred to in Article 4(2) of Directive 2008/56/EC;

‘invasive non-indigenous species’ means ‘invasive alien species’ within the meaning of Article 3(2) of Regulation (EU) No 1143/2014 of the European Parliament and of the Council (12);

‘criteria elements’ means constituent elements of an ecosystem, particularly its biological elements (species, habitats and their communities), or aspects of pressures on the marine environment (biological, physical, substances, litter and energy), which are assessed under each criterion;

‘threshold value’ means a value or range of values that allows for an assessment of the quality level achieved for a particular criterion, thereby contributing to the assessment of the extent to which good environmental status is being achieved.

be part of the set of characteristics used by Member States in their determination of good environmental status;

be consistent with Union legislation;

where appropriate, distinguish the quality level that reflects the significance of an adverse effect for a criterion and be set in relation to a reference condition;

be set at appropriate geographic scales of assessment to reflect the different biotic and abiotic characteristics of the regions, subregions and subdivisions;

be set on the basis of the precautionary principle, reflecting the potential risks to the marine environment;

be consistent across different criteria when they relate to the same ecosystem element;

make use of best available science;

be based on long time-series data, where available, to help determine the most appropriate value;

reflect natural ecosystem dynamics, including predator-prey relationships and hydrological and climatic variation, also acknowledging that the ecosystem or parts thereof may recover, if deteriorated, to a state that reflects prevailing physiographic, geographic, climatic and biological conditions, rather than return to a specific state of the past;

be consistent, where practical and appropriate, with relevant values set under regional institutional cooperation structures, including those agreed in the Regional Sea Conventions.

national threshold values, provided the obligation of regional cooperation laid down in Articles 5 and 6 of Directive 2008/56/EC is complied with;

directional trends of the values;

pressure-based threshold values as proxies.

under Part I are laid down the criteria and methodological standards for determination of good environmental status under Article 9(3) of Directive 2008/56/EC, and specifications and standardised methods for monitoring and assessment under Article 11(4) of that Directive, to be used by Member States in relation to the assessment of predominant pressures and impacts under Article 8(1)(b) of Directive 2008/56/EC,

under Part II are laid down the criteria and methodological standards for determination of good environmental status under Article 9(3) of Directive 2008/56/EC, and specifications and standardised methods for monitoring and assessment, to be used by Member States in relation to the assessment of environmental status under Article 8(1)(a) of Directive 2008/56/EC.

‘Newly-introduced’ non-indigenous species shall be understood as those which were not known to be present in the area in the previous assessment period.

‘Established’ non-indigenous species shall be understood as those which were known to be present in the area in the previous assessment period.

For D2C1: where it is not clear whether the new arrival of non-indigenous species is due to human activity or natural dispersal from neighbouring areas, the introduction shall be counted under D2C1.

For D2C2: when species occurrence and abundance is seasonally variable (e.g. plankton), monitoring shall be undertaken at appropriate times of year.

Monitoring programmes shall be linked to those for Descriptors 1, 4, 5 and 6, where possible, as they typically use the same sampling methods and it is more practical to monitor non-indigenous species as part of broader biodiversity monitoring, except where sampling needs to focus on main vectors and risk areas for new introductions.

D2C1: the number of species per assessment area which have been newly introduced in the assessment period (6 years),

D2C2: abundance (number of individuals, biomass in tonnes (t) or extent in square kilometres (km2)) per non-indigenous species,

D2C3: the proportion of the species group (ratio of indigenous species to non-indigenous species, as number of species and/or their abundance within the group) or the spatial extent of the broad habitat type (in square kilometres (km2)) which is adversely altered.

A list of commercially-exploited species for application of the criteria in each assessment area shall be established by Member States through regional or subregional cooperation and updated for each 6-year assessment period, taking into account Council Regulation (EC) No 199/2008 (4) and the following:

For the purposes of this Decision, commercially-exploited species which are non-indigenous in each assessment area shall be excluded from the list and thus not contribute to achievement of good environmental status for Descriptor 3.

Regulation (EC) No 199/2008 establishes rules on the collection and management, in the framework of multi-annual programmes, of biological, technical, environmental and socioeconomic data concerning the fisheries sector which shall be used for monitoring under Descriptor 3.

The term ‘populations’ shall be understood as the term ‘stocks’ within the meaning of Regulation (EU) No 1380/2013.

For D3C1 and D3C2, the following shall apply:

The following methods for assessment shall be used:

D3C1: annualised fishing mortality rate,

D3C2: biomass in tonnes (t) or number of individuals per species, except where other indices are used under point 5(b),

D3C3: under point 5(c): for (i), first indent: proportion (percentage) or numbers, for (i), second indent: length in centimetres (cm), and for (ii): length in centimetres (cm).

In coastal waters, the criteria elements shall be selected in accordance with Directive 2000/60/EC.

For D5C2 and D5C3, Member States may in addition use phytoplankton species composition and abundance.

Information on the pathways (atmospheric, land- or sea-based) for nutrients entering the marine environment shall be collected, where feasible.

Monitoring beyond coastal waters may not be necessary due to low risk, such as in cases where the threshold values are achieved in coastal waters, taking into account nutrient input from atmospheric, sea-based including coastal waters, and transboundary sources.

Assessments under Directive 2000/60/EC shall be used for the assessments of each criterion in coastal waters.

Values set in accordance with Directive 2000/60/EC shall refer either to those set by intercalibration under Commission Decision 2013/480/EU (6) or to those set in national legislation in accordance with Article 8 and Annex V of Directive 2000/60/EC. These shall be understood as the ‘Good-Moderate boundary’ for Ecological Quality Ratios.

Species composition shall be understood to refer to the lowest taxonomic level appropriate for the assessment.

D5C1: nutrient concentrations in micromoles per litre (μmol/l),

D5C2: chlorophyll a concentrations (biomass) in micrograms per litre (μg/l),

D5C3: bloom events as number of events, duration in days and spatial extent in square kilometres (km2) per year,

D5C4: photic limit as depth in metres (m),

D5C5: oxygen concentration in the bottom of the water column in milligrams per litre (mg/l),

D5C6: Ecological Quality Ratio for macroalgal abundance or spatial cover. Extent of adverse effects in square kilometres (km2) or as a proportion (percentage) of the assessment area,

D5C7: Ecological Quality Ratio for species composition and relative abundance assessments or for maximum depth of macrophyte growth. Extent of adverse effects in square kilometres (km2) or as a proportion (percentage) of the assessment area,

D5C8: Ecological Quality Ratio for species composition and relative abundance assessments. Extent of adverse effects in square kilometres (km2) or as a proportion (percentage) of the assessment area.

Regarding methods for monitoring:

Regarding methods for assessment, the data shall be aggregated so that:

Physical loss shall be understood as a permanent change to the seabed which has lasted or is expected to last for a period of two reporting cycles (12 years) or more.

Physical disturbance shall be understood as a change to the seabed from which it can recover if the activity causing the disturbance pressure ceases.

For D6C3 species composition shall be understood to refer to the lowest taxonomic level appropriate for the assessment.

D6C1: extent of the assessment area physically lost in square kilometres (km2),

D6C2: extent of the assessment area physically disturbed in square kilometres (km2),

D6C3: extent of each habitat type adversely affected in square kilometres (km2) or as a proportion (percentage) of the total natural extent of the habitat in the assessment area.

Regarding methods for monitoring and assessment:

Regarding methods for assessment, the data shall be aggregated so that:

D7C1: extent of the assessment area hydrographically altered in square kilometres (km2),

D7C2: extent of each habitat type adversely affected in square kilometres (km2) or as a proportion (percentage) of the total natural extent of the habitat in the assessment area.

For criteria elements under D8C1, the selection under points 1(b) and 2(b) of additional contaminants that may give rise to pollution effects shall be based on a risk assessment. For these contaminants, the matrix and threshold values used for the assessment shall be representative of the most sensitive species and exposure pathway, including hazards to human health via exposure through the food chain.

For the purposes of this Decision:

Contaminants shall be understood to refer to single substances or to groups of substances. For consistency in reporting, the grouping of substances shall be agreed at Union level.

Species composition shall be understood to refer to the lowest taxonomic level appropriate for the assessment.

D8C1: concentrations of contaminants in micrograms per litre (μg/l) for water, in micrograms per kilogram (μg/kg) of dry weight for sediment and in micrograms per kilogram (μg/kg) of wet weight for biota,

D8C2: abundance (number of individuals or other suitable units as agreed at regional or subregional level) per species affected; extent in square kilometres (km2) per broad habitat type affected,

D8C3: duration in days and spatial extent in square kilometres (km2) of significant acute pollution events per year,

D8C4: abundance (number of individuals or other suitable units as agreed at regional or subregional level) per species affected; extent in square kilometres (km2) per broad habitat type affected.

When Member States establish the list of species to be used under D9C1, the species shall:

Exceedance of the standard set for a contaminant shall lead to subsequent monitoring to determine the persistence of the contamination in the area and species sampled. Monitoring shall continue until there is sufficient evidence that there is no risk of failure.

For the purposes of this Decision, the sampling for the assessment of the maximum levels of contaminants shall be performed in accordance with Article 11 of Regulation (EC) No 882/2004 of the European Parliament and of the Council (10) and with Commission Regulation (EU) No 589/2014 (11) and Commission Regulation (EC) No 333/2007 (12).

Within each region or subregion, Member States shall ensure that the temporal and geographical scope of sampling is adequate to provide a representative sample of the specified contaminants in seafood in the marine region or subregion.

D9C1: concentrations of contaminants in the units set out in the Annex to Regulation (EC) No 1881/2006.

For D10C1: litter shall be monitored on the coastline and may additionally be monitored in the surface layer of the water column and on the seabed. Information on the source and pathway of the litter shall be collected, where feasible;

For D10C2: micro-litter shall be monitored in the surface layer of the water column and in the seabed sediment and may additionally be monitored on the coastline. Micro-litter shall be monitored in a manner that can be related to point-sources for inputs (such as harbours, marinas, waste-water treatment plants, storm-water effluents), where feasible.

For D10C3 and D10C4: the monitoring may be based on incidental occurrences (e.g. strandings of dead animals, entangled animals in breeding colonies, affected individuals per survey).

D10C1: amount of litter per category in number of items:

D10C2: amount of micro-litter per category in number of items and weight in grams (g):

D10C3: amount of litter/micro-litter in grams (g) and number of items per individual for each species in relation to size (weight or length, as appropriate) of the individual sampled,

D10C4: number of individuals affected (lethal; sub-lethal) per species.

For D11C1 monitoring:

For D11C2 monitoring:

Annual average, or other suitable metric agreed at regional or subregional level, of the squared sound pressure in each of two ‘1/3-octave bands’, one centred at 63 Hz and the other at 125 Hz, expressed as a level in decibels in units of dB re 1 μΡa, at a suitable spatial resolution in relation to the pressure. This may be measured directly, or inferred from a model used to interpolate between, or extrapolated from, measurements. Member States may also decide at regional or subregional level to monitor for additional frequency bands.

D11C1: Number of days per quarter (or per month if appropriate) with impulsive sound sources; proportion (percentage) of unit areas or extent in square kilometres (km2) of assessment area with impulsive sound sources per year,

D11C2: Annual average (or other temporal metric) of continuous sound level per unit area; proportion (percentage) or extent in square kilometres (km2) of assessment area with sound levels exceeding threshold values.

For D1C1, data shall be provided per species per fishing metier for each ICES area or GFCM Geographical Sub-Area or FAO fishing areas for the Macaronesian biogeographic region, to enable its aggregation to the relevant scale for the species concerned, and to identify the particular fisheries and fishing gear most contributing to incidental catches for each species.

‘Coastal’ shall be understood on the basis of physical, hydrological and ecological parameters and is not limited to coastal water as defined in Article 2(7) of Directive 2000/60/EC.

Species may be assessed at population level, where appropriate.

Wherever possible, the assessments under Directive 92/43/EEC, Directive 2009/147/EC and Regulation (EU) No 1380/2013 shall be used for the purposes of this Decision:

Assessments of the adverse effects from pressures under criteria D1C1, D2C3, D3C1, D8C2, D8C4 and D10C4, as well as the assessments of pressures under criteria D9C1, D10C3, D11C1 and D11C2, shall be taken into account in the assessments of species under Descriptor 1.

D1C2: abundance (number of individuals or biomass in tonnes (t)) per species.

‘Coastal’ shall be understood on the basis of physical, hydrological and ecological parameters and is not limited to coastal water as defined in Article 2(7) of Directive 2000/60/EC.

Assessments of the adverse effects from pressures, including under D2C3, D5C2, D5C3, D5C4, D7C1, D8C2 and D8C4, shall be taken into account in the assessments of pelagic habitats under Descriptor 1.

D1C6: extent of habitat adversely affected in square kilometres (km2) and as a proportion (percentage) of the total extent of the habitat type.

The status of each habitat type shall be assessed using assessments (such as of sub-types of the broad habitat types) under Directive 92/43/EEC and Directive 2000/60/EC, wherever possible.

Assessment of criterion D6C4 shall use the assessment made under criterion D6C1.

Criteria D6C4 and D6C5 equate to the ‘range/area covered by habitat type within range’ and ‘specific structures and functions’ criteria of Directive 92/43/EEC.

For D6C5, assessments of the adverse effects from pressures, including under criteria D2C3, D3C1, D3C2, D3C3, D5C4, D5C5, D5C6, D5C7, D5C8, D6C3, D7C2, D8C2 and D8C4, shall be taken into account.

For D6C5, species composition shall be understood to refer to the lowest taxonomic level appropriate for the assessment.

D6C4: extent of habitat loss in square kilometres (km2) and as a proportion (percentage) of the total extent of the habitat type,

D6C5: extent of habitat adversely affected in square kilometres (km2) and as a proportion (percentage) of the total extent of the habitat type.

Scientific criteria (ecological relevance):

Additional practical criteria (which shall not override the scientific criteria):

Species composition shall be understood to refer to the lowest taxonomic level appropriate for the assessment.

The trophic guilds selected under criteria elements shall take into account the ICES list of trophic guilds (20) and shall meet the following conditions:

D4C2: total abundance (number of individuals or biomass in tonnes (t)) across all species within the trophic guild.