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Europe Seas

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Prod-ID: DAT-208-en
Created 11 Dec 2018 Published 11 Dec 2018 Last modified 15 Dec 2022
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This is an old version, kept for reference only.

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This page was archived on 16 Apr 2021 with reason: Other (New version data-and-maps/data/europe-seas-1 was published)
The present dataset compiles the marine regions and subregions listed in Article 4 of the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD), together with other surrounding seas of Europe. The MSFD marine regions and subregions map was developed to support DG Environment and EU Member States in their implementation of the MSFD. It represents the current state of understanding of the marine regions and subregions and is subject to amendment in light of any new information which may be produced.

GIS data

Europe seas
  • INSPIRE Metadata
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MPA assessment areas

The spatial extent of the MPA assessment areas was defined as the marine waters surrounding the EU countries whose outer limit is defined by the 200 NM boundary from the coast (possibly coinciding with formally recognised EEZ boundaries) or the equidistance (in cases of opposite neighbouring EU countries), or by the presence of a boundary defined by an agreed treaty. However, since no formal boundary of this map exists and since this limit coincides with the boundary of the maritime area (water column) submitted by EU Member States under MSFD Articles 8, 9 and 10 in the Eionet Central Data Repository (CDR) ), the decision was taken to use the MSFD Region/Subregion boundary shapefile assembled in 2013 by ETC/ICM (ETC/ICM, 2013), based on EU Member States reported data integrated with information from the Flanders Marine Institute (VLIZ) Maritime Boundaries (version 7) to delimit the MPA assessment areas

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Link to the SDI metadata:

Marine Protected Areas (MPA) assessment areas - version 1, Feb. 2017

 

Documents

Marine Regions and Subregions

Metadata

information.png Reporting obligations (ROD)
Relation:
Derived data set:  Environmental Accounting Reference Layers - SDI
information.png Rights:
EEA standard re-use policy: unless otherwise indicated, re-use of content on the EEA website for commercial or non-commercial purposes is permitted free of charge, provided that the source is acknowledged (https://www.eea.europa.eu/legal/copyright). Copyright holder: European Environment Agency (EEA).
information.png Disclaimer:
The present layer has been developed as a working tool only and shall not be considered as an official or legally-binding map representing marine borders in accordance with international law. This map shall be used without prejudice to the agreements that will be concluded between Member States or between Member States and non-EU states in respect of their marine borders.
information.png Data sources

All sources used for the production of the MSFD marine regions and subregions delineation, as well as the description of the process on how they have been agreed are in the Technical document on the "Delineation of the MSFD Article 4 marine regions and subregions".

information.png Owners:
European Environment Agency (EEA)
information.png Processors:
European Topic Centre on Inland, Coastal and Marine waters (ETC/ICM)

Additional information

In 2008, the EU Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD) was adopted with the aim to protect more effectively the marine environment across Europe. The MSFD aims to achieve Good Environmental Status (GES) of the EU's marine waters by 2020 and to protect the resource base upon which marine-related economic and social activities depend.

In order to achieve its goal, the Directive establishes European marine regions and sub-regions on the basis of geographical and environmental criteria. The Directive lists four European marine regions – the Baltic Sea, the North-east Atlantic Ocean, the Mediterranean Sea and the Black Sea (art. 4). These are located mainly within the geographical boundaries of the existing Regional Sea Conventions cooperation between the Member States of one marine region and with neighbouring countries which share the same marine waters.

One challenge of the Directive is that the MSFD does not specify the boundaries of the marine regions and subregions, and no formal definition of the marine regions and subregions exists elsewhere. As such, a process was initiated in 2010 to help define the individual marine boundaries under the MSFD Common Implementation Strategy.

The map of the marine regions and subregions describes the geometric delineation of those identified within the MSFD, art. 4. These regions are, to the extent possible, harmonized with other EU legislation where maritime boundaries are of relevance and specifically, the biogeographic regions of the Habitats and Birds Directive as well as the Maritime regions of Maritime Spatial Planning Directive. The map was agreed by the MSFD Committee in 2016.

For details in regard to the individual boundaries and process, please refer to the Technical document on the "Delineation of the MSFD Article 4
 marine regions and subregions".

 

Related content

Derived dataset

Produced Indicators

Assessment Part
Archived
Status of marine fish and shellfish stocks in European seas, disaggregate level assessment
Assessment Part
Archived
Status of marine fish and shellfish stocks in European seas, aggregated level assessment
Assessment Part
Archived
Are the concentrations of and trends in hazardous substances in marine organisms acceptable?
Assessment Part How far is Europe from achieving a robust assessment of the Marine Strategy Framework Directive's 'good environmental status' for commercial fish and shellfish stocks?
Assessment Part How far is Europe in achieving a robust assessment for Good Environmental Status of its fish and shellfish stocks?
Assessment Part
Archived
Is eutrophication in European transitional, coastal and marine waters decreasing?
Assessment Part
Archived
Are nutrient concentrations in European transitional, coastal and marine waters decreasing?
Assessment Part How far is Europe in achieving a robust assessment for Good Environmental Status of its fish and shellfish stocks?
Assessment Part Are nutrient concentrations in European transitional, coastal and marine waters decreasing?
Assessment Part What are the main pathways of introduction of marine non-indigenous species?
Assessment Part
Archived
Is eutrophication in European transitional, coastal and marine waters decreasing?
Assessment Part
Archived
Are the concentrations and trends of hazardous substances in marine organisms acceptable?

Produced figures

Figure
Archived
Landings of commercial fish and shellfish per EU marine region in 2018, and proportion of landings for which stock assessments were conducted between 2015-2019 This figure shows the 2018 landings of commercially exploited fish and shellfish stocks per EU marine region, and the proportions of landings for which stock assessments were conducted in 2015-2019 (not all stocks have annual assessments). See the related Excel File for extra details.
Figure
Archived
State of the assessed European commercial fish and shellfish stocks in relation to the Good Environmental Status criteria for fishing mortality and reproductive capacity per EU marine region in 2018 This figure shows the state of the assessed commercially exploited fish and shellfish stocks per EU marine region, for which assessments were conducted in 2015-2019 (not all stocks have annual assessments). Majority of data is from 2018.
Figure Winter mean orthophosphate concentrations in European seas, 2013-2017 The map shows mean orthophosphate concentrations in the upper 10 m of the water column, observed in winter of the years 2013-2017.
Figure Winter dissolved inorganic nitrogen (NH4 + NO3 + NO2) concentration observed in European seas, 2013-2017 The map shows dissolved dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN) (NH4 + NO3 + NO2) concentrations in the upper 10 m of the water column, observed in winter of the years 2013-2017.
Figure Improvements across EU Biogeographical Regions The map shows the biogeographical and marine Regions for EU28 countries.
Figure Biogeographical and marine regions in the EU The map shows the biogeographical and marine regions for EU-28 countries.
Figure Marine regions and subregions Map of marine regions and subregions in the EU, including their acronyms.
Figure
Archived
EU progress in meeting its emission ceilings and comparison with future emission reduction commitments Croatia joined the EU in mid-2013, therefore for the years 2010 to 2013 emissions and ceilings are not considered for this country. Greece and Malta did not report data in 2018, therefore the aggregated EU emissions are incomplete. The distance to ceilings was calculated based on unadjusted emissions. The aggregated EU emissions for mobile sources are calculated based on data on fuel sold for all Member States.
Figure
Archived
Hazardous substances in marine organisms in European seas The maps show eight contaminants distributed in four regional seas (no data available for the Black Sea). In each map the locations where the contaminant was measured are coloured to indicate which class was registered; green (low concentration), yellow (moderate concentration) or red (high concentration). The pie charts cover the North Atlantic Sea, the Baltic Sea and the Mediterranean Sea, showing the percentage of each class of the regional seas. Any regional trend for a particular class is indicated by black arrows.
Figure Landings of commercial fish and shellfish per EU marine region, and proportion of landings for which stock assessments were conducted in 2016-2018 This figure shows the 2017 landings of commercially exploited fish and shellfish per EU marine region (although for the Mediterranean and Black seas data refers to 2016), and the proportions of landings for which stock assessments were conducted in 2016-2018 (not all stocks have annual assessments). See the related Excel File for extra details. A distinction is made between (1) the landings for assessed stocks for which adequate information is available to determine GES for F and SSB, (2) the landings for assessed stocks for which insufficient information is available to determine GES for F or SSB, and (3) the assessed stocks for which the available information on both F and SSB is insufficient to determine GES. For further information, see the Methodology section on how this distinction is made and European Commission Decision No 2017/848/EU on criteria and methodological standards on GES of marine waters.
Figure Status of the assessed European commercial fish and shellfish stocks in relation to Good Environmental Status (GES) per EU marine region in 2015-2017 This figure shows the status of the assessed European commercially exploited fish and shellfish stocks in relation to ‘good environmental status’ (GES) per EU marine region in 2017 (although for the Mediterranean and Black Seas, data refer to 2016). Stocks for which adequate information is available to determine GES for fishing mortality (F) and/or reproductive capacity (spawning stock biomass (SSB)) are included (where Z is the total number of stocks, Y is the total number of assessed stocks and X is the number of stocks for which adequate information is available to determine GES on the basis of these two criteria). A distinction is made between stocks that are (1) in good status based on both F and SSB; (2) in good status based on only one criteria, F or SSB (either because one of the two criteria are not in good status or there is only one available criteria and it is in good status); and (3) not in good status (based on both F and SSB or there is only one criteria available and it is not in good status). As assessments are carried out in a multiannual cycle within the Mediterranean Sea, the number of stocks included for this region depends on the period covered. See the Methodology section for further information on how good status is determined.
Figure Regional seas surrounding Europe
Figure Annual mean total nitrogen (NO2+NO3) concentrations observed in European seas, 2013-2017 The map shows the oxidised nitrogen concentrations in the upper 10 m of the water column, observed in the years 2013-2017.
Figure Mean chlorophyll-a (Chla) concentrations in European seas, 2013-2017 The map shows chlorophyll concentrations in the upper 10 m of the water column, observed in the summers of the years 2013-2017.
Figure Trends in winter mean dissolved inorganic nitrogen concentrations in European seas The map shows trends per station in dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN) concentrations in the upper 10 m of the water column, observed in European Seas during winter time during the period 1990-2017.
Figure Trends in annual mean total nitrogen concentrations in European seas The map shows trends per station in total nitrogen concentrations in the upper 10 m of the water column, observed during the years 1990-2017.
Figure Landings of fish and shellfish per regional sea, and proportion of landings for which stock assessments are available This figure shows landings of commercial fish and shellfish per regional sea, and the proportions of landings for which stock assessments were conducted in 2015. A distinction is made between the landings for (1) assessed stocks for which adequate information is available to determine good environmental status (GES) for fishing mortality (F) and/or reproductive capacity (spawning stock biomass (SSB)); (2) assessed stocks for which insufficient information is available to determine GES for F and/or SSB; and (3) unassessed stocks (for further information see EEA CSI032, 2018, Methodology section, on how this distinction is made, and European Commission Decision 2017/848/EU on criteria and methodological standards on GES of marine waters).
Figure
Archived
Marine protected areas in Europe's regional seas Marine protected areas (MPAs) are geographically distinct zones for which protection objectives are set. They constitute a globally acknowledged system for safeguarding biodiversity and maintaining marine ecosystem services.
Figure
Archived
EU progress in meeting its emission ceilings and comparison with future emission reduction commitments Croatia joined the EU in mid-2013; therefore, for the years 2010-2013 emissions and ceilings are not considered for this country. Greece did not report data in 2017; therefore, the aggregated EU emissions are incomplete
Figure
Archived
Landings of fish per regional seas, and proportion of landings for which stock assessments are available The figure shows the proportion of commercial European fish landings assesed per regional sea. Catch information for the North-East Atlantic and the Baltic Sea is based on the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES) Official Nominal Catches, 2006-2014 dataset. Catch information for the Mediterranean Sea and the Black Sea is based on the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) capture production dataset, 1970-2014. The figure is based on 2014 data.
Figure Commercial fish landings from regional seas around Europe This figure shows the commercial fish landings per regional sea.
Figure Europe's regional seas, and fast facts on EU MPA networks The map shows the facts on the EU Marine Protected Area Networks
Figure Regional seas surrounding Europe The maps shows the regional seas surrounding Europe and the sustainability challenges they face
Figure
Archived
Regional seas surrounding Europe
Figure Main pathways of introduction of marine non-indigenous species in regional seas of Europe This figure shows the relative importance (%) of the main pathways of introduction of non-indigenous species (NIS) across regional seas of Europe in 2014.
Figure Chlorophyll-a concentrations in European seas The map shows summer chlorophyll-a concentrations observed in 2012 in European coastal and open seas. The class boundaries “high”, “moderate” and “low” concentration are determined by the 80/20 percentiles of the data set for the years 2007-2012 in each regional sea.
Figure
Archived
Orthophosphate concentrations in European seas The map shows the winter orthophosphate concentrations in the European coastal and open waters in 2012. The class boundaries “high” (red), “moderate” (orange) and “low” (yellow) concentration are determined by the 80/20 percentiles of the data set for the years 2007-2012 in each regional sea.
Figure
Archived
Oxidised nitrogen concentrations in European seas The map shows the winter oxidised nitrogen concentrations in European coastal and open waters in 2012. The class boundaries “high” (red), “moderate” (orange) and “low” (yellow) concentration are determined by the 80/20 percentiles of the data set for the years 2007 to 2012 in each regional sea.
Figure
Archived
Dissolved inorganic nitrogen concentrations in European seas The map shows the winter dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN) concentrations in European coastal and open waters in 2012. The class boundaries, “high” (red), “moderate” (orange) and “low” (yellow) concentration are determined by the 80/20 percentiles of the DIN data set for the years 2007 to 2012 in each regional sea.
Figure Hazardous substances in marine organisms in European seas This figure shows the 2012 aggregated assessment for 8 hazardous substances (or groups) in marine organisms in regional seas around Europe. It consists of eight maps showing available data for the Northeast Atlantic ocean, Baltic sea, Black Sea and Mediterranean sea; one map for each substance. Each map shows the locations where the substance was measured, and coloured to indicate which class was registered; green (Low concentration), yellow (Moderate concentration) or red (High concentration). In addition a pie chart is presented on the map showing the percent of each class within each of the four regional seas. Furthermore, any regional trend observed between 2003-2012 for a particular class is indicated by an arrow.
Figure
Draft
Marine protected area coverage by regional sea, 2016 The map shows the percentage marine protected area (MPA) coverage in Europe's regional seas. It also shows the distance to the Convention on Biological Diversity Aichi target 11 of 10 % coverage. The distance from the network coverage to the coverage target is reported with respect to three different distance buffer zones: 0-1 NM, 1-12 NM and 12 NM - END of national waters (NM = nautical miles, END = outer limit of MPA assessment area).

See also

Used in indicators

Indicator Specification Oxygen concentrations in European coastal and marine waters The indicator illustrates the geographical distribution and trends in summer/autumn concentrations of oxygen in the near-bottom waters of the regional seas of Europe. It uses oxygen concentrations in the near-bottom layer during the period July-October. The following marine regions and subregions are covered, in line with the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD) (sub)regions: Baltic Sea, North-East Atlantic Ocean, Mediterranean Sea and Black Sea (see 'Regional seas surrounding Europe' map: Regional Seas ).
Indicator Specification Hazardous substances in marine organisms This indicator describes the levels of and trends in the levels of eight hazardous substances in marine biota in European seas , based on individual assessments of monitoring data for the following substances: mercury (Hg) and its compounds; cadmium (Cd) and its compounds; lead (Pb) and its compounds; HCB; PCBs, using chlorinated biphenyls CB28, CB52, CB101, CB118, CB138, CB153 and CB180 as representatives; the pesticide DDT (using pp’DDE as a representative); the pesticide Lindane (1,2,3,4,5,6-hexachlorocyclohexane); the polyaromatic hydrocarbon BaP. The indicator is based on data on the levels of these substances measured in organisms from the regional seas as follows: Baltic Sea — Atlantic herring (Clupea harengus); North-East Atlantic Ocean — blue mussel (Mytilus app), Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua), flounder (Platichtys flesus); Mediterranean Sea — Mediterranean mussel (Mytilus galloprovinicialis); Black Sea — Mediterranean mussel (Mytilus galloprovinicialis).
Indicator Specification Chlorophyll in transitional, coastal and marine waters  The indicator illustrates the geographical distribution and trends in mean summer surface concentrations of chlorophyll-a (micrograms per litre) in the regional seas of Europe. The summer period is defined as: June to September for stations north of latitude 59 degrees in the Baltic Sea (Gulf of Bothnia and Gulf of Finland) May to September for all other stations The following marine regions and subregions are covered, in line with the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (sub)regions:   Regions Subregions Baltic Sea None North-East Atlantic Ocean Greater North Sea Celtic Seas Bay of Biscay and Iberian coast Macaronesian biogeographic region Mediterranean Sea Western Mediterranean Sea Adriatic Sea Ionian Sea and Central Mediterranean Aegean-Levantine Sea Black Sea None  
Indicator Specification Marine protected areas in Europe's seas This indicator measures the percentage of the marine protected area network coverage obtained by combining the distribution of marine sites established by EC Member States as reported under Natura 2000 (N2K), the Common Database on Designated Areas (CDDA) and Regional Sea Convention databases in order to indicate the overall network distance to the 10 % coverage target. The combined percentage covered is calculated with respect to the MPA assessment area of Europe's regional seas as reported by each EU Member State in the MSFD reporting process. The distance from the network coverage to the coverage target is also reported with respect to three different distance buffer zones: 0-1 NM, 1-12 NM and 12 NM - END of national waters (NM = nautical miles, END = outer limit of MPA assessment area).

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For references, please go to https://www.eea.europa.eu/data-and-maps/data/europe-seas or scan the QR code.

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