EMODnet for Policy

EMODnet delivers crucial marine knowledge and services to support EU Policy Implementation

EMODnet’s diverse cross-thematic offer of marine environmental and human activities data for the coast and open ocean is a key marine knowledge resource used to support Policy. EMODnet’s current Policy users include National government and public administration, Regional Sea Conventions and European decision-makers, who all use EMODnet’s FAIR and integrated marine data to support evidence-based decision-making and Policy implementation. This includes the EU Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD) where marine knowledge for the assessment of Good Environmental Status (GES) of European regional seas, the EU Birds and Habitats Directives which form the cornerstones of EU biodiversity policy contributing to the EU biodiversity strategy for 2030, and the EU Maritime Spatial Planning Directive (MSPD) which requires integrated marine knowledge to manage the use of our seas and oceans coherently and to ensure that human activities take place in an efficient, safe and sustainable way. EMODnet also provides coastal data, information and knowledge ranging from sea level rise (absolute and relative trends), coastal bathymetry, pollutants and contaminants, coastal dynamics and riverine data, coastal erosion, beach litter, and more which can be used to reduce uncertainty in future scenarios and inform coastal zone management, mitigation and adaptation policies related to climate change, among others.

Click here to access the different EMODnet thematics, providing ready-to-use data and data products at European scale that can be used to support and speed up decision making processes. And discover the EMODnet for Policy use cases in a searchable database. 

EMODnet for Policy resources:

• EMODnet for Policy video
• EMODnet for Mission: Restore our Ocean and Waters video
• EMODnet for Maritime Spatial Planning video

Below are some concrete examples of how EMODnet is making a difference supporting policy implementation in the EU and beyond.

EU Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD)

• EMODnet makes an important contribution to the data and information sharing provisions of the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD) by advising on standards and improving the accessibility and interoperability of marine data; 

• EMODnet is the European data platform to support the assessment of MSFD Descriptor 10 (marine litter), as outlined in the recently published EU Coastline Macro Litter Trend report;

• EMODnet’s expertise is also valued and being applied to wider MSFD descriptors e.g., in the areas of marine pollution and contaminants, biodiversity  and underwater noise, to further standardise and harmonise key data from EU Directive regulatory monitoring of European seas and waters, working in close cooperation with the EC including JRC, the EEA, EU Member States, Regional Sea Conventions and other regional initiatives e.g., ICES. This is exemplified in EMODnet’s invited participation and representation in multiple other Technical Groups of EU MSFD, including TG Noise, TG DATA and TG Seabed, among others;

• Government and public administration fund, coordinate and conduct marine monitoring and wider data collection efforts to meet the requirements of National and EU legislation. Some of these data are already shared with and integrated into the EMODnet offer via public data pipelines and  thus enabling the collect once, use many times principle of EMODnet continues to work with the European Commission services, Member States and Regional Sea Conventions to optimize these data flows into EMODnet which will further increase the EMODnet offer, and further capitalize on Member State investment in data collection efforts, making the marine data and knowledge Findable, Accessible, Interoperable and Reusable (FAIR);

• EMODnet also provides marine data and knowledge to support the EU Birds Directive (specifically EMODnet’s seabird data collection) and the EU Habitats Directive (including EMODnet Biology and Seabed Habitats thematics with multiple parameters therein).

EU Nature Restoration law and Europe’s contribution to the Agreement on Marine Biodiversity of Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ): 

EMODnet’s cross-thematic marine biodiversity and ecosystem knowledge is also a crucial asset to support EU Member States and wider stakeholders in assessing and restoring degraded ecosystems for the EU Nature Restoration law and in meeting Europe’s marine knowledge needs for the Agreement on Marine Biodiversity of Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ).

EU Maritime Spatial Planning Directive (MSPD)

• EMODnet works directly with EU Member States to make their official National Maritime Spatial Plans accessible to the public as Findable, Accessible, Interoperable and Reusable (FAIR) geospatial data layers on the EMODnet Portal;

• EMODnet’s expert advice in Technical Groups of Maritime Spatial Planning (MSP) has directly contributed to more harmonised Maritime Spatial Plans across Europe, which is serving users with much-needed cross-border MSP information, crucially complemented in the EMODnet Portal by marine environmental data and information that can support national authorities and maritime spatial planners at National, Regional and European scales to make evidence-based decisions on future MSP developments that are holistic, considering natural ecosystems as well as human needs, and to ensure planning is climate-smart, resilient and adaptable to climate and ocean change;

• EMODnet provides access to harmonized, transboundary, multidisciplinary data layers that can support MSP planners to analyse cross-border parameters and to use an ecosystems-based approach in maritime spatial planning.