European Environment Agency's home page

Write to us

For the public:

For media and journalists:

Contact EEA staff

Contact the web team

FAQ

Black Sea fish catches: Located in Environmental topics › Biodiversity › Multimedia
EEA Briefing 3/2006 - The continuous degradation of Europe's coasts threatens European living standards: Located in Publications
Europe's seas and coasts expert: Eva Wlodarczyk, expert on Water, Seawater The seas around Europe are of vital importance to us, since historical times, they served as the source of food and employment for the people living around the seas and also as transport routes. Following the progress in the past century, the seas found new users; for example there was exploitation of marrying oil and gas fields, the extraction of sand and gravel from the sea bed, also fishing for the deep water species and even the extraction of minerals from the very deep ocean basins.
Located in Environmental topics › Biodiversity › Multimedia
Marine and coastal environment — key message 3: Unsustainable fishing occurs in all European Seas and is threatening the viability of European fish stocks. 21 to 60% of the commercial fish stocks in the North-East Atlantic, the Baltic Sea and the Mediterranean are considered to be outside safe biological limits.
Located in The European environment – state and outlook 2010 › … › Marine and coastal environment — SOER 2010 thematic assessment › Key messages
Marine and coastal environment — SOER 2010 thematic assessment: European marine regions include the north-east Atlantic and Arctic oceans, and the Mediterranean, Black and Baltic seas. Human activities — such as fishing, aquaculture and agriculture — and climate change cause large and severe impacts on Europe's coastal and marine ecosystems. The EU objective of halting biodiversity loss by 2010 has not been met in either the coastal or the marine environment. Recognising the need for an integrated ecosystem-based approach to reduce pressures, the EU Integrated Maritime Policy allows for the development of sea-related activities in a sustainable manner. Its environmental pillar, the Marine Strategy Framework Directive, aims to deliver 'good environmental status' of the marine environment by 2020, and the Common Fisheries Policy will be reformed in 2012 with the aim of achieving sustainable fisheries. Complementary policy efforts include the EU Water Framework Directive and other freshwater legislation, and the Habitats and Birds Directives.
Located in The European environment – state and outlook 2010 › Thematic assessments
Priority issues in the Mediterranean environment (revised version): Following the principles of the European Thematic Strategy on the Protection and Conservation of the Marine Environment, the collective interest of EEA and UNEP/MAP has been developed towards a product focusing on priority pollution zones in the Mediterranean Sea and addressing emerging issues. All these issues come under the prism of an ecosystem approach. The core of this report derives from the latest (2003–2004) country National Diagnostic Analyses reports (NDA).
Located in Publications