The proposal has been detailed in an NGO advice document in relation to national public consultations that are taking place across Europe in relation to the EU’s Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD). The call for action is being put to North East Atlantic countries meeting this week in the Hague for the OSPAR Commission’s Environmental Impacts of Human Activities Committee - one of the last opportunities for this group of countries to discuss their regional approach to target setting under the
MSFD.

Only legal tool
“Garbage patches forming across the world’s oceans and litter strewn beaches found across Europe demand an ambitious response and a 50% cut within European waters is the bare minimum we should be aiming for. Individuals, industry and governments can use such a target as an incentive for implementing the sorts of measures that are so badly needed to address this problem and July this year will be the litmus test for political ambition”, said Chris Carroll of Seas At Risk.

The target has been proposed by members of Seas At Risk, including the Marine Conservation Society (UK), the Surfrider Foundation Europe, the North Sea Foundation (Netherlands), Friends of the Earth Germany, The Swedish Society for Nature Conservation, the European Environmental Bureau and the Liga para A Protecção da Natureza (Portugal).

The MSFD is the only existing European legal instrument that requires countries to reduce marine litter. The opportunity is unparalleled and makes a reduction target of 50% across the marine environment by 2020 distinctly possible with the concerted action that should result from having multiple countries act in unison on a problem that knows no boundaries.

A similar target has been achieved in the past. In the report of the EU’s expert group on marine litter it was highlighted that a 50% reduction was achieved in the 1990’s concerning plastic pellets in the marine environment.

Source: Seas At Risk News release

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