EU: The European Commission yesterday launched a strategy to clean up all EU marine waters by 2021 as it issued a new warning about pollution levels and over- fishing.
The proposed "marine environment strategy" will be enforced through a commission directive seeking to make member states offer more protection to oceans and seas. It sets a target of ensuring that all marine waters in the EU are healthy by 2021.
The directive will propose guidelines and deadlines for implementation of the new strategy but leaves it to member states to assess their own environment and propose a programme of measures to repair damage and protect marine life.
The administrative cost of the strategy is estimated at €90 million in the first two years and €70 million a year thereafter.
Some of the clean-up measures will be financed by industry under the polluter pays principle, a decision likely to create large bills for such sectors as shipping and oil and gas extraction.
Environment Commissioner Stavros Dimas warned that Europe's seas and oceans were reaching an environmental "point of no return" due to overfishing, pollution, climate change, oil spills and drilling.
"Europe's seas and oceans make a huge contribution to our quality of life and our economic prosperity, but they are deteriorating because of our over-exploitation," said Mr Dimas.
The strategy will introduce the concept of marine regions, which should become forums where member states can work together to ensure EU waters are healthy.
Ireland is placed in the North East Atlantic Ocean region, along with Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Sweden, Britain, Portugal, Spain, Iceland and Norway. It is understood that Ireland has already raised the issue of emissions from the Sellafield nuclear plant in consultations with the commission.
One EU source said yesterday that although nuclear power was not dealt with under the proposed directive, it couldn't be ignored if emissions from Sellafield were found to cause pollution in the Irish Sea.