Signals — every breath we take

Freshwater quality — SOER 2010 thematic assessment: The continuing presence of a range of pollutants in a number of Europe's freshwaters threatens aquatic ecosystems and raises concerns for public health. Current reporting under the EU Water Framework Directive shows that a substantial proportion of Europe's freshwaters are at risk of not achieving the aim of 'good status' by 2015. Driven by the EU Urban Wastewater Treatment Directive (UWWTD), improvements in the collection and treatment of wastewater in some regions of Europe have led to a reduction in the discharge of some pollutants to fresh and coastal waters. Challenges remain, however, because UWWTD implementation remains incomplete and other significant sources of water pollution exist, especially agriculture and urban storm flows. The implementation of effective and timely measures, required under the WFD, needs to encompass a greater focus on controls 'at source' and the efficient use of resources including water, energy and chemicals.
Located in The European environment – state and outlook 2010 › Thematic assessments
Marine and coastal environment — key message 6: Sustainable use of the seas and the conservation of marine ecosystems through an ecosystem-based approach are being pursued through the Integrated Maritime Policy and its environmental pillar, the 2008 Marine Strategy Framework Directive, under which ‘good environmental status’ in European Seas is to be achieved in 2020. In addition, a reform of the EU Common Fisheries Policy has been proposed to achieve sustainable management of European and global fisheries.
Located in The European environment – state and outlook 2010 › … › Marine and coastal environment — SOER 2010 thematic assessment › Key messages
Marine and coastal environment — key message 1: Degradation of marine and coastal ecosystems is observed in the Black, Mediterranean, Baltic, North East Atlantic Seas and in the Arctic. This trend is caused by fishing, agriculture, the industrial use of chemicals, tourist development, shipping, energy exploitation and other maritime activities. Projected climate change is likely to increase the impact of these activities in all seas, and in the Arctic
Located in The European environment – state and outlook 2010 › … › Marine and coastal environment — SOER 2010 thematic assessment › Key messages
EU 2010 Biodiversity Baseline: The EU 2010 Biodiversity Baseline provides facts and figures on the state and trends of the different biodiversity and ecosystem components. It thereby supports the EU in developing the post‑2010 sub‑targets and provides factual data for measuring and monitoring progress in the EU from 2011 to 2020.
Located in Publications
Conservation status of species of European Union interest in marine ecosystems: Statistics by region on the left, overall statistics on the right.
Located in Data and maps › Maps and graphs
Black Sea fish catches: Located in Environmental topics › Biodiversity › Multimedia
Assessing biodiversity in Europe — the 2010 report: The present report considers the status and trends of pan-European biodiversity, and the implications of these trends for biodiversity management policy and practice. It considers the key biodiversity policy instruments currently applied in Europe, the threats to biodiversity and their management implications across major habitat types. The implications for biodiversity of cross-cutting issues such as tourism and urban planning are also considered, along with the challenges that remain for conserving and sustainably using of Europe's biodiversity. The report makes use of the SEBI 2010 indicators and other relevant national and regional information sources. It does not consider the biodiversity of EU overseas territories and outermost regions.
Located in Publications
Ten most frequently reported pressures by Member States for marine species according to 2001–2006 Article 17 reports under the Habitats Directive: This diagram shows the number of marine species affected by pressures reported by 40% of EU countries where these species occur.
Located in Data and maps › Maps and graphs
Impacts of Europe's changing climate - 2008 indicator-based assessment: Located in Publications