Environmental and Social Cross-Compliance of Marine Policies

Deadline: 06-Oct-21

The European Commission (EC) is seeking proposals for the Environmental and Social Cross-Compliance of Marine Policies.

Proposals should focus on implementation research on environmental and social cross-compliance of a broad range of marine and maritime policies to detect inconsistencies between different policies, legislation and regulations as barriers for the Green Deal and its strategies (EU biodiversity strategy for 2030, Climate Adaptation Strategy, the zero pollution ambition) in the marine domain.

• Environmental and social cross-compliance and coherence of marine policies for nature-based climate adaptation and mitigation: A sufficient scientific knowledge base is needed to be able to judge and avoid potential exemptions of Water Framework Directive and Marine Strategy Framework Directive requirements or conflicts with NATURA 2000 legislation for new coastal infrastructure licences for climate adaptation and mitigation actions.
• Environmental and social cross-compliance and coherence of marine policies to halt biodiversity decline and enhance restoration and conservation for the benefit of local communities: Proposals should analyse international, European, national or regional marine/maritime policies, legislation and regulation (Convention on Biological Diversity, Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction, Environmental Impact Assessment etc.) versus marine sectorial (such as International Seabed Authority, international fisheries regulation, fossil fuel exploration/exploitation, marine wildlife trade, agriculture, waste, etc.) and marine spatial planning legislation, regulation and implementation focusing on biodiversity and ecosystem conservation and restoration, including Marine Protected Area assignments.
• Environmental and social cross-compliance and coherence of marine policies to achieve progress towards zero pollution: Proposals should focus on implementation research on environmental and social cross-compliance and coherence of a broad range of marine and maritime policies to detect inconsistencies between different policies, legislation and regulations in order to achieve progress in the elimination of historical and future pollution. Proposals should analyse international, European, national or regional marine/maritime policies, legislation and regulation, versus marine sectorial legislation, regulation and implementation focusing on all kinds of pollution. They should make proposals for improvement to eliminate inconsistencies at all relevant governance levels and define potential scientific needs to achieve them.

The proposals should cover a representative set of coastal areas or regions across Europe varying according to size and geographical, environmental, socio-economic, institutional and administrative conditions (regional, inter-regional, macro-region, cross-border).

Funding Information

The check will normally be done for the coordinator if the requested grant amount is equal to or greater than EUR 500 000, except for:

• public bodies (entities established as a public body under national law, including local, regional or national authorities) or international organisations; and
• cases where the individual requested grant amount is not more than EUR 60 000 (lowvalue grant).

Expected Outcomes

Project results are expected to contribute to all the following expected outcomes:

• Better understanding of policy (in)coherence, potential weaknesses in cross-compliance, trade-offs and underexploited synergies between marine/maritime policies, legislation and regulation is used by the policy making community
  • to halt biodiversity decline and enhance biodiversity and ecosystem restoration and conservation for the benefit of local communities
  • to favour nature-based climate adaptation and mitigation measures
  • to achieve progress towards zero pollution.
• Analytical contributions, orientations and proposals to improve international, European, national or regional marine/maritime policies, legislation, regulation and their implementation, are provided to the policy making community in order to fully integrate the environmental, social and health requirements and considerations, enabling a better integration and harmonisation of policies.
• Better understanding of (a potentially regulatorily consolidated) lack of biodiversity, pollution or climate related considerations and socio-economic power balances in decision making that could disadvantage biodiversity and ecosystem conservation and restoration and ecosystem services’ benefits to local communities or disadvantage pollution prevention, reduction and remediation; is used to the benefit of international cooperation and development aid for local communities.
• Better understanding of the effects of different climate adaptation measures on good ecological, environmental or conservation status, is leading to tangible support for nature-based and socially acceptable climate adaptation and mitigation strategies with low carbon footprint.
• Better understanding of the weaknesses in consistency between emission control regulation and fresh water and marine environmental quality standards for chemical substances and user or prohibition guidelines at local level (communes, garden maintenance companies etc.), as well as food quality and safety or other health standards is used by the policy making community.
• Better understanding of the weaknesses in cross-compliance between common agricultural policy and the Water Framework Directive (WFD) and the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD) such as in relation to eutrophication in fresh and marine waters has inspired the policy making community to introduce improvements.
• The policy making community exploited a better insight in how the Member States’ Maritime Spatial Plans, River Basin Management Plans and MSFD measures link together concerning climate adaptation and mitigation, biodiversity and ecosystem conservation and restoration, and pollution.

Eligibility Criteria

To be eligible for funding, applicants must be established in one of the eligible countries, i.e.:

• the Member States of the European Union, including their outermost regions;
• the Overseas Countries and Territories (OCTs) linked to the Member States;
• eligible non-EU countries:
  • countries associated to Horizon Europe
  • low- and middle-income countries.

For more information, visit https://bit.ly/3xAixaZ