The main aim of the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (Directive 2008/56/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 17 June 2008 establishing a framework for community action in the field of marine environmental policy) is to maintain or achieve a Good Environmental Status (GES) in the marine environment by 2020. To this aim, the EU Member States have to develop Marine Strategies, including a Program of Measures.
The Initial Assessment of the state of the marine environment (Art. 8 national report), definitions for Good Environmental Status (GES) (Art. 9 national report) and the definition of environmental targets and indicators (Art. 10 national report) formed the first part, and the monitoring programmes under Article 11 were the second part of the Marine Strategy.
The first part of the Marine Strategy was developed in 2012 (http://cdr.eionet.europa.eu/bg/eu/msfd8910/), and the second part – in 2014.
The Programme of Measures under Article 13 MSFD is the third part of the Marine Strategy of Republic of Bulgaria. The development of the PoMs in Bulgaria started in the beginning of 2015.
The present Program of Measures (PoMs) is planned to provide a reduction of anthropogenic pressure for which there are no measures planned under the updated second Black Sea River Basin Management Plan (BSRBMP) under WFD 2000/60/EC or when existing measures are considered as not sufficient to achieve the GES. The proposals for a Program of Measures in this consultation have been developed at a Bulgarian wide scale with input from experts and policy makers and in coordination with Romania.
In accordance with Article 19 of Marine Strategy Framework Directive 2008/56/ЕU (MSFD), the public authority responsible for implementation of the Directive in Bulgaria has to organize a public consultation on their proposed Program of Measures (PoM) to ensure that all interested parties are given early and effective opportunities to participate.
This Program of Measures applies to the territorial marine waters (in their entirety from the shoreline to the border of Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ)) and the Exclusive Economic Zone of Republic of Bulgaria.
The period of the implementation of the Program of measures (PoMs) will run from 2016 to 2021.
The draft of PoM of Bulgaria is opened for public consultation in the period of 2nd March to 09 December 2016.
We kindly invite the competent authorities, stakeholders and public to participate actively in the public discussions of the abovementioned Program of measures (PoMs).