The European Marine Strategy Framework Directive (Directive 2008/56/EG, short MSFD) aims at establishing a “Good Environmental Status (GES) of the marine environment until 2020. Member states must apply assessment methods to assess the GES. In contrast to the Water Framework Directive (WFD) the protection and management of the marine environment includes not only a narrow near coastal stripe but takes the whole coastal area and the Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZ) of all member states into account and is valid for the regional seas Baltic Sea, North-East Atlantic, Mediterranean Sea and Black Sea.
