MS/Art8-2024/2024/D10/Belgium/NE Atlantic: Greater North Sea

Member State report / Art8-2024 / 2024 / D10 / Belgium / NE Atlantic: Greater North Sea

Report type	Member State report to Commission
MSFD Article	Art8
Report due	2024-10-15
GES Descriptor	D10 Litter
Member State	Belgium
Region/subregion	NE Atlantic: Greater North Sea
Report date	2026-01-13 14:08:15

Belgian Part of the North Sea (ANS-BE-MS-1)

Simplified table

Regional assessment area	seafloor-litter-qsr23-ospar-Greater North Sea	seafloor-litter-qsr23-ospar-Greater North Sea	seafloor-litter-qsr23-ospar-Greater North Sea	seafloor-litter-qsr23-ospar-Greater North Sea	seafloor-litter-qsr23-ospar-Greater North Sea	seafloor-litter-qsr23-ospar-Greater North Sea	seafloor-litter-qsr23-ospar-Greater North Sea	seafloor-litter-qsr23-ospar-Greater North Sea	seafloor-litter-qsr23-ospar-Greater North Sea	seafloor-litter-qsr23-ospar-Greater North Sea	seafloor-litter-qsr23-ospar-Greater North Sea	seafloor-litter-qsr23-ospar-Greater North Sea	seafloor-litter-qsr23-ospar-Greater North Sea	seafloor-litter-qsr23-ospar-Greater North Sea	seafloor-litter-qsr23-ospar-Greater North Sea	seafloor-litter-qsr23-ospar-Greater North Sea	seafloor-litter-qsr23-ospar-Greater North Sea	seafloor-litter-qsr23-ospar-Greater North Sea	seafloor-litter-qsr23-ospar-Greater North Sea	seafloor-litter-qsr23-ospar-Greater North Sea			plastic-in-fulmar-qsr23-ospar-South-Eastern North Sea
Component MRUs
GES component	D10	D10	D10	D10	D10	D10	D10	D10	D10	D10	D10	D10	D10	D10	D10	D10	D10	D10	D10	D10	D10	D10	D10
Feature	Litter in the environment	Litter in the environment	Litter in the environment	Litter in the environment	Litter in the environment	Litter in the environment	Litter in the environment	Litter in the environment	Litter in the environment	Litter in the environment	Litter in the environment	Litter in the environment	Litter in the environment	Litter in the environment	Litter in the environment	Litter in the environment	Litter in the environment	Litter in the environment	Litter in the environment	Litter in the environment	Micro-litter in the environment	Micro-litter in the environment	Litter and micro-litter in species
Element	Artificial polymer materials	Artificial polymer materials	Bags	Bottles	Cloth/textile	Fishing	Glass/ceramics	Glass/ceramics	Glass/ceramics	Macrolitter (all)	Macrolitter (all)	Metal	Metal	Natural	Other materials	Other materials	Paper/cardboard	Processed/worked wood	Undefined	Undefined	Artificial polymer materials	Artificial polymer materials	Artificial polymer materials
Element extent
Trend element	Unknown	Unknown	Unknown	Unknown	Unknown	Unknown	Unknown	Unknown	Unknown	Unknown	Unknown	Unknown	Unknown	Unknown	Unknown	Unknown	Unknown	Unknown	Unknown	Unknown	Unknown	Unknown	Deteriorating
Element 2																							Fulmarus glacialis
Element source	OSPAR	OSPAR	OSPAR	OSPAR	OSPAR	OSPAR	OSPAR	OSPAR	OSPAR	OSPAR	OSPAR	OSPAR	OSPAR	OSPAR	OSPAR	OSPAR	OSPAR	OSPAR	OSPAR	OSPAR	OSPAR	OSPAR	OSPAR
Criterion	D10C1	D10C1	D10C1	D10C1	D10C1	D10C1	D10C1	D10C1	D10C1	D10C1	D10C1	D10C1	D10C1	D10C1	D10C1	D10C1	D10C1	D10C1	D10C1	D10C1	D10C2	D10C2	D10C3
Parameter	Amount on coastline	Amount on seabed			Amount on coastline		Amount on coastline	Amount on coastline	Amount on seabed	Amount on coastline	Amount on seabed	Amount on coastline	Amount on seabed		Amount on coastline	Amount on seabed	Amount on coastline	Amount on coastline	Amount on coastline	Amount on coastline	Concentration in sediment	Concentration in water	AMO-B
Threshold value upper										20.0													0.1
Threshold value lower
Threshold value operator
Threshold qualitative
Threshold value source	Other (specify)				Other (specify)		Not applicable	Other (specify)		Other (specify)		Not applicable			Not applicable		Not applicable	Not applicable	Not applicable	Not applicable			OSPAR Convention
Value achieved upper	211.0	69.0			5.0		4.0		4.0	246.0	75.0	14.0	6.0		54.0	9.0	8.0	8.0		10.0	331.0	57.0
Value achieved lower	17.0	64.0							2.0	21.0	69.0		4.0			6.0					17.0
Value unit	items/100m	percentage			items/100m		items/100m	items/100m	percentage	items/100m	percentage	items/100m	percentage		items/100m	percentage	items/100m	items/100m	items/100m	items/100m	number of items per kilogram of dry weight	items/100l	g/stomach
Proportion threshold value																							10.0
Proportion value achieved																							55.0
Proportion threshold value unit																							% of samples achieving threshold value
Trend parameter	Unknown	Unknown			Unknown		Unknown	Unknown	Unknown	Unknown	Deteriorating	Unknown	Unknown		Unknown	Unknown	Unknown	Unknown	Unknown	Unknown	Unknown	Unknown	Unknown
Parameter achieved	Unknown	Unknown			Unknown		Unknown	Unknown	Unknown	Unknown	No	Unknown	Unknown		Unknown	Unknown	Unknown	Unknown	Unknown	Unknown	Unknown	Unknown	No
Description parameter	Kunstmatige polymeermaterialen on coastline (Belgian beaches)	Gemiddelde (jaarlijkse min-max) kans dat de sleep afval bevat.			Doek/textiel on coastline (Belgian beaches)		Glas/Keramiek on coastline (Belgian beaches)	Keramiek/aardewerk on coastline (Belgian beaches)	Gemiddelde (jaarlijkse min-max) kans dat de sleep afval bevat. Cat D.	Macrolitter (alle) on coastline (Belgian beaches)	Gemiddelde (jaarlijkse min-max) kans dat de sleep afval bevat.	Metaal on coastline (Belgian beaches)	Gemiddelde (jaarlijkse min-max) kans dat de sleep afval bevat. Cat B.		Other materials: Rubber on coastline (Belgian beaches)	Other materials: Rubber. Gemiddelde (jaarlijkse min-max) kans dat de sleep afval bevat. Cat C.	Papier/karton on coastline (Belgian beaches)	Hout Bewerkt on coastline (Belgian beaches)	Medisch afval on coastline (Belgian beaches)	Sanitair afval on coastline (Belgian beaches)	Microafvaldeeltjes tussen 100 µm en 5 mm worden sinds 2020 geanalyseerd in zeebodemsediment en in zeewater in het Belgische deel van de Noordzee (D10C2). Aangezien zeebodemsediment beschouwd wordt als afzetplaats voor microplastics in het milieu, zijn metingen in sediment het meest geschikt voor langetermijn-monitoring van microplasticvervuiling. Microplastics blijken alomtegenwoordig te zijn met ongeveer 9 keer hogere aantallen dicht bij de kust (102-331 deeltjes/kg dw) vergeleken met offshore waarden rond de detectiegrens (17-25 deeltjes/kg dw). De kleinste groottecategorie (100-299 µm) kwam het meest voor en fragmenten waren het meest vertegenwoordigde type deeltje.	De resultaten voor microplasticsdeeltjes in oppervlaktewaterstalen van 2020-2021 laten een vergelijkbaar verschil zien tussen kust en offshore, met meer vezels dan fragmenten. Er werd een grote variatie waargenomen bij het kuststation, wat typisch is voor microplastics in water. Ze zijn zeer mobiel en worden bijgevolg sterk beïnvloed door meteorologische en hydrodynamische omstandigheden. Met de voortzetting van de gegevensverzameling in het BNZ, geïntegreerd in een multidisciplinair monitoringaanpak, zal meer kennis worden vergaard over zowel de evolutie als de dynamiek in ons gebied.	Fulmar Threshold Value = [ThresholdValueUpper] + [ProportionThresholdValue]
Related indicator	ANS-BE-BLITTER-2024	seafloor-litter-qsr23-ospar			ANS-BE-BLITTER-2024		ANS-BE-BLITTER-2024	ANS-BE-BLITTER-2024	seafloor-litter-qsr23-ospar	ANS-BE-BLITTER-2024	seafloor-litter-qsr23-ospar	ANS-BE-BLITTER-2024	seafloor-litter-qsr23-ospar		ANS-BE-BLITTER-2024	seafloor-litter-qsr23-ospar	ANS-BE-BLITTER-2024	ANS-BE-BLITTER-2024	ANS-BE-BLITTER-2024	ANS-BE-BLITTER-2024	ANS-BE-ML-SED-2024	ANS-BE-ML-WAT-2024	ANS-BE-PLASTIC-FUL-STMCH-2024;plastic-in-fulmar-qsr23-ospar
Criteria status	Unknown	Unknown	Unknown	Unknown	Unknown	Unknown	Unknown	Unknown	Unknown	Unknown	Unknown	Unknown	Unknown	Unknown	Unknown	Unknown	Unknown	Unknown	Unknown	Unknown	Unknown	Unknown	Not good
Description criteria																					microlitter in sediment and water	microlitter in sediment and water	In the South-eastern North Sea to which Belgium belongs, 50% of the fulmar stomachs contained > 0.1 g plastics and here on average 21 particles and 0.27 g per bird were found (see Kühn et al. 2022 for more details and standard errors). During the 2014 to 2018 period only 12 birds were found in Belgium (see Figure 2), which does not allow a further breakdown to national levels.
Element status	Unknown	Unknown	Unknown	Unknown	Unknown	Unknown	Unknown	Unknown	Unknown	Unknown	Unknown	Unknown	Unknown	Unknown	Unknown	Unknown	Unknown	Unknown	Unknown	Unknown	Unknown	Unknown	Not good
Description element	Kunstmatige polymeermaterialen (beach and seafloor)	Kunstmatige polymeermaterialen (beach and seafloor)	Composition and spatial distribution of litter on the seafloor: seafloor-litter-qsr23-ospar-Greater North Sea	Composition and spatial distribution of litter on the seafloor: seafloor-litter-qsr23-ospar-Greater North Sea	Doek/textiel (beach and seafloor)	Composition and spatial distribution of litter on the seafloor: seafloor-litter-qsr23-ospar-Greater North Sea	Keramiek/aardewerk (beach and seafloor)	Keramiek/aardewerk (beach and seafloor)	Keramiek/aardewerk (beach and seafloor)	Macrolitter (alle) (beach and seafloor)	Macrolitter (alle) (beach and seafloor)	Metaal (beach and seafloor)	Metaal (beach and seafloor)	Composition and spatial distribution of litter on the seafloor: seafloor-litter-qsr23-ospar-Greater North Sea	Rubber (beach and seafloor)	Rubber (beach and seafloor)	Papier/karton (beach and seafloor)	Hout Bewerkt (beach and seafloor)	Medisch and Sanitair afval (beach and seafloor)	Medisch and Sanitair afval (beach and seafloor)	Microafvaldeeltjes tussen 100 µm en 5 mm worden sinds 2020 geanalyseerd in zeebodemsediment en in zeewater in het Belgische deel van de Noordzee (D10C2). Aangezien zeebodemsediment beschouwd wordt als afzetplaats voor microplastics in het milieu, zijn metingen in sediment het meest geschikt voor langetermijn-monitoring van microplasticvervuiling. Microplastics blijken alomtegenwoordig te zijn met ongeveer 9 keer hogere aantallen dicht bij de kust (102-331 deeltjes/kg dw) vergeleken met offshore waarden rond de detectiegrens (17-25 deeltjes/kg dw). De kleinste groottecategorie (100-299 µm) kwam het meest voor en fragmenten waren het meest vertegenwoordigde type deeltje. De resultaten voor microplasticsdeeltjes in oppervlaktewaterstalen van 2020-2021 laten een vergelijkbaar verschil zien tussen kust en offshore, met meer vezels dan fragmenten. Er werd een grote variatie waargenomen bij het kuststation, wat typisch is voor microplastics in water. Ze zijn zeer mobiel en worden bijgevolg sterk beïnvloed door meteorologische en hydrodynamische omstandigheden. Met de voortzetting van de gegevensverzameling in het BNZ, geïntegreerd in een multidisciplinair monitoringaanpak, zal meer kennis worden vergaard over zowel de evolutie als de dynamiek in ons gebied.	Microafvaldeeltjes tussen 100 µm en 5 mm worden sinds 2020 geanalyseerd in zeebodemsediment en in zeewater in het Belgische deel van de Noordzee (D10C2). Aangezien zeebodemsediment beschouwd wordt als afzetplaats voor microplastics in het milieu, zijn metingen in sediment het meest geschikt voor langetermijn-monitoring van microplasticvervuiling. Microplastics blijken alomtegenwoordig te zijn met ongeveer 9 keer hogere aantallen dicht bij de kust (102-331 deeltjes/kg dw) vergeleken met offshore waarden rond de detectiegrens (17-25 deeltjes/kg dw). De kleinste groottecategorie (100-299 µm) kwam het meest voor en fragmenten waren het meest vertegenwoordigde type deeltje. De resultaten voor microplasticsdeeltjes in oppervlaktewaterstalen van 2020-2021 laten een vergelijkbaar verschil zien tussen kust en offshore, met meer vezels dan fragmenten. Er werd een grote variatie waargenomen bij het kuststation, wat typisch is voor microplastics in water. Ze zijn zeer mobiel en worden bijgevolg sterk beïnvloed door meteorologische en hydrodynamische omstandigheden. Met de voortzetting van de gegevensverzameling in het BNZ, geïntegreerd in een multidisciplinair monitoringaanpak, zal meer kennis worden vergaard over zowel de evolutie als de dynamiek in ons gebied.	In the South-eastern North Sea to which Belgium belongs, 50% of the fulmar stomachs contained > 0.1 g plastics and here on average 21 particles and 0.27 g per bird were found (see Kühn et al. 2022 for more details and standard errors). During the 2014 to 2018 period only 12 birds were found in Belgium (see Figure 2), which does not allow a further breakdown to national levels. (plastic-in-fulmar-qsr23-ospar-South-Eastern North Sea)
Source assessment feature	OSPAR	OSPAR	OSPAR	OSPAR	OSPAR	OSPAR	OSPAR	OSPAR	OSPAR	OSPAR	OSPAR	OSPAR	OSPAR	OSPAR	OSPAR	OSPAR	OSPAR	OSPAR	OSPAR	OSPAR	National	National	OSPAR
Reporting method feature	Type C	Type C	Type C	Type C	Type C	Type C	Type C	Type C	Type C	Type C	Type C	Type C	Type C	Type C	Type C	Type C	Type C	Type C	Type C	Type C	Type D	Type D	Type A
Trend feature	Unknown	Unknown	Unknown	Unknown	Unknown	Unknown	Unknown	Unknown	Unknown	Unknown	Unknown	Unknown	Unknown	Unknown	Unknown	Unknown	Unknown	Unknown	Unknown	Unknown	Unknown	Unknown	Unknown
Integration rule type parameter
Integration rule description parameter
Integration rule type criteria
Integration rule description criteria
GES extent threshold	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00
GES extent achieved
GES extent unit
GES achieved	GES later than 2024, Art14ExceptionNotReported	GES later than 2024, Art14ExceptionNotReported	GES later than 2024, Art14ExceptionNotReported	GES later than 2024, Art14ExceptionNotReported	GES later than 2024, Art14ExceptionNotReported	GES later than 2024, Art14ExceptionNotReported	GES later than 2024, Art14ExceptionNotReported	GES later than 2024, Art14ExceptionNotReported	GES later than 2024, Art14ExceptionNotReported	GES later than 2024, Art14ExceptionNotReported	GES later than 2024, Art14ExceptionNotReported	GES later than 2024, Art14ExceptionNotReported	GES later than 2024, Art14ExceptionNotReported	GES later than 2024, Art14ExceptionNotReported	GES later than 2024, Art14ExceptionNotReported	GES later than 2024, Art14ExceptionNotReported	GES later than 2024, Art14ExceptionNotReported	GES later than 2024, Art14ExceptionNotReported	GES later than 2024, Art14ExceptionNotReported	GES later than 2024, Art14ExceptionNotReported	Unknown	Unknown	GES later than 2024, Art14ExceptionNotReported
Description overall status	Because of frequent beach clean-ups, the amount of litter on the Belgian coast is an indication of the cleanliness of the beach, rather than a representative figure on the amount of beached litter items. Nevertheless, the results always exceed the threshold of 20 items/100 m. Plastic (84%) is the most common material encountered. At OSPAR level, beach litter levels remain high with plastic items predominating. Over the last six years, significant decreases in litter and plastic abundance have been observed in the Greater North Sea. To substantially reduce marine litter, it is necessary to continue current efforts and take additional measures. Seafloor litter is widespread across the assessed area. Fisheries-related items and plastic materials predominate. In the North Sea, the chance of finding litter has increased. High variability in seafloor litter distribution can be noted in the Belgian part of the North Sea. Litter linked to fisheries accounts for 31 to 52% of all collected seafloor litter items. More litter items were observed at dredged spoil disposal site Zeebrugge-Oost which should be further investigated.	Because of frequent beach clean-ups, the amount of litter on the Belgian coast is an indication of the cleanliness of the beach, rather than a representative figure on the amount of beached litter items. Nevertheless, the results always exceed the threshold of 20 items/100 m. Plastic (84%) is the most common material encountered. At OSPAR level, beach litter levels remain high with plastic items predominating. Over the last six years, significant decreases in litter and plastic abundance have been observed in the Greater North Sea. To substantially reduce marine litter, it is necessary to continue current efforts and take additional measures. Seafloor litter is widespread across the assessed area. Fisheries-related items and plastic materials predominate. In the North Sea, the chance of finding litter has increased. High variability in seafloor litter distribution can be noted in the Belgian part of the North Sea. Litter linked to fisheries accounts for 31 to 52% of all collected seafloor litter items. More litter items were observed at dredged spoil disposal site Zeebrugge-Oost which should be further investigated.	Because of frequent beach clean-ups, the amount of litter on the Belgian coast is an indication of the cleanliness of the beach, rather than a representative figure on the amount of beached litter items. Nevertheless, the results always exceed the threshold of 20 items/100 m. Plastic (84%) is the most common material encountered. At OSPAR level, beach litter levels remain high with plastic items predominating. Over the last six years, significant decreases in litter and plastic abundance have been observed in the Greater North Sea. To substantially reduce marine litter, it is necessary to continue current efforts and take additional measures. Seafloor litter is widespread across the assessed area. Fisheries-related items and plastic materials predominate. In the North Sea, the chance of finding litter has increased. High variability in seafloor litter distribution can be noted in the Belgian part of the North Sea. Litter linked to fisheries accounts for 31 to 52% of all collected seafloor litter items. More litter items were observed at dredged spoil disposal site Zeebrugge-Oost which should be further investigated.	Because of frequent beach clean-ups, the amount of litter on the Belgian coast is an indication of the cleanliness of the beach, rather than a representative figure on the amount of beached litter items. Nevertheless, the results always exceed the threshold of 20 items/100 m. Plastic (84%) is the most common material encountered. At OSPAR level, beach litter levels remain high with plastic items predominating. Over the last six years, significant decreases in litter and plastic abundance have been observed in the Greater North Sea. To substantially reduce marine litter, it is necessary to continue current efforts and take additional measures. Seafloor litter is widespread across the assessed area. Fisheries-related items and plastic materials predominate. In the North Sea, the chance of finding litter has increased. High variability in seafloor litter distribution can be noted in the Belgian part of the North Sea. Litter linked to fisheries accounts for 31 to 52% of all collected seafloor litter items. More litter items were observed at dredged spoil disposal site Zeebrugge-Oost which should be further investigated.	Because of frequent beach clean-ups, the amount of litter on the Belgian coast is an indication of the cleanliness of the beach, rather than a representative figure on the amount of beached litter items. Nevertheless, the results always exceed the threshold of 20 items/100 m. Plastic (84%) is the most common material encountered. At OSPAR level, beach litter levels remain high with plastic items predominating. Over the last six years, significant decreases in litter and plastic abundance have been observed in the Greater North Sea. To substantially reduce marine litter, it is necessary to continue current efforts and take additional measures. Seafloor litter is widespread across the assessed area. Fisheries-related items and plastic materials predominate. In the North Sea, the chance of finding litter has increased. High variability in seafloor litter distribution can be noted in the Belgian part of the North Sea. Litter linked to fisheries accounts for 31 to 52% of all collected seafloor litter items. More litter items were observed at dredged spoil disposal site Zeebrugge-Oost which should be further investigated.	Because of frequent beach clean-ups, the amount of litter on the Belgian coast is an indication of the cleanliness of the beach, rather than a representative figure on the amount of beached litter items. Nevertheless, the results always exceed the threshold of 20 items/100 m. Plastic (84%) is the most common material encountered. At OSPAR level, beach litter levels remain high with plastic items predominating. Over the last six years, significant decreases in litter and plastic abundance have been observed in the Greater North Sea. To substantially reduce marine litter, it is necessary to continue current efforts and take additional measures. Seafloor litter is widespread across the assessed area. Fisheries-related items and plastic materials predominate. In the North Sea, the chance of finding litter has increased. High variability in seafloor litter distribution can be noted in the Belgian part of the North Sea. Litter linked to fisheries accounts for 31 to 52% of all collected seafloor litter items. More litter items were observed at dredged spoil disposal site Zeebrugge-Oost which should be further investigated.	Because of frequent beach clean-ups, the amount of litter on the Belgian coast is an indication of the cleanliness of the beach, rather than a representative figure on the amount of beached litter items. Nevertheless, the results always exceed the threshold of 20 items/100 m. Plastic (84%) is the most common material encountered. At OSPAR level, beach litter levels remain high with plastic items predominating. Over the last six years, significant decreases in litter and plastic abundance have been observed in the Greater North Sea. To substantially reduce marine litter, it is necessary to continue current efforts and take additional measures. Seafloor litter is widespread across the assessed area. Fisheries-related items and plastic materials predominate. In the North Sea, the chance of finding litter has increased. High variability in seafloor litter distribution can be noted in the Belgian part of the North Sea. Litter linked to fisheries accounts for 31 to 52% of all collected seafloor litter items. More litter items were observed at dredged spoil disposal site Zeebrugge-Oost which should be further investigated.	Because of frequent beach clean-ups, the amount of litter on the Belgian coast is an indication of the cleanliness of the beach, rather than a representative figure on the amount of beached litter items. Nevertheless, the results always exceed the threshold of 20 items/100 m. Plastic (84%) is the most common material encountered. At OSPAR level, beach litter levels remain high with plastic items predominating. Over the last six years, significant decreases in litter and plastic abundance have been observed in the Greater North Sea. To substantially reduce marine litter, it is necessary to continue current efforts and take additional measures. Seafloor litter is widespread across the assessed area. Fisheries-related items and plastic materials predominate. In the North Sea, the chance of finding litter has increased. High variability in seafloor litter distribution can be noted in the Belgian part of the North Sea. Litter linked to fisheries accounts for 31 to 52% of all collected seafloor litter items. More litter items were observed at dredged spoil disposal site Zeebrugge-Oost which should be further investigated.	Because of frequent beach clean-ups, the amount of litter on the Belgian coast is an indication of the cleanliness of the beach, rather than a representative figure on the amount of beached litter items. Nevertheless, the results always exceed the threshold of 20 items/100 m. Plastic (84%) is the most common material encountered. At OSPAR level, beach litter levels remain high with plastic items predominating. Over the last six years, significant decreases in litter and plastic abundance have been observed in the Greater North Sea. To substantially reduce marine litter, it is necessary to continue current efforts and take additional measures. Seafloor litter is widespread across the assessed area. Fisheries-related items and plastic materials predominate. In the North Sea, the chance of finding litter has increased. High variability in seafloor litter distribution can be noted in the Belgian part of the North Sea. Litter linked to fisheries accounts for 31 to 52% of all collected seafloor litter items. More litter items were observed at dredged spoil disposal site Zeebrugge-Oost which should be further investigated.	Because of frequent beach clean-ups, the amount of litter on the Belgian coast is an indication of the cleanliness of the beach, rather than a representative figure on the amount of beached litter items. Nevertheless, the results always exceed the threshold of 20 items/100 m. Plastic (84%) is the most common material encountered. At OSPAR level, beach litter levels remain high with plastic items predominating. Over the last six years, significant decreases in litter and plastic abundance have been observed in the Greater North Sea. To substantially reduce marine litter, it is necessary to continue current efforts and take additional measures. Seafloor litter is widespread across the assessed area. Fisheries-related items and plastic materials predominate. In the North Sea, the chance of finding litter has increased. High variability in seafloor litter distribution can be noted in the Belgian part of the North Sea. Litter linked to fisheries accounts for 31 to 52% of all collected seafloor litter items. More litter items were observed at dredged spoil disposal site Zeebrugge-Oost which should be further investigated.	Because of frequent beach clean-ups, the amount of litter on the Belgian coast is an indication of the cleanliness of the beach, rather than a representative figure on the amount of beached litter items. Nevertheless, the results always exceed the threshold of 20 items/100 m. Plastic (84%) is the most common material encountered. At OSPAR level, beach litter levels remain high with plastic items predominating. Over the last six years, significant decreases in litter and plastic abundance have been observed in the Greater North Sea. To substantially reduce marine litter, it is necessary to continue current efforts and take additional measures. Seafloor litter is widespread across the assessed area. Fisheries-related items and plastic materials predominate. In the North Sea, the chance of finding litter has increased. High variability in seafloor litter distribution can be noted in the Belgian part of the North Sea. Litter linked to fisheries accounts for 31 to 52% of all collected seafloor litter items. More litter items were observed at dredged spoil disposal site Zeebrugge-Oost which should be further investigated.	Because of frequent beach clean-ups, the amount of litter on the Belgian coast is an indication of the cleanliness of the beach, rather than a representative figure on the amount of beached litter items. Nevertheless, the results always exceed the threshold of 20 items/100 m. Plastic (84%) is the most common material encountered. At OSPAR level, beach litter levels remain high with plastic items predominating. Over the last six years, significant decreases in litter and plastic abundance have been observed in the Greater North Sea. To substantially reduce marine litter, it is necessary to continue current efforts and take additional measures. Seafloor litter is widespread across the assessed area. Fisheries-related items and plastic materials predominate. In the North Sea, the chance of finding litter has increased. High variability in seafloor litter distribution can be noted in the Belgian part of the North Sea. Litter linked to fisheries accounts for 31 to 52% of all collected seafloor litter items. More litter items were observed at dredged spoil disposal site Zeebrugge-Oost which should be further investigated.	Because of frequent beach clean-ups, the amount of litter on the Belgian coast is an indication of the cleanliness of the beach, rather than a representative figure on the amount of beached litter items. Nevertheless, the results always exceed the threshold of 20 items/100 m. Plastic (84%) is the most common material encountered. At OSPAR level, beach litter levels remain high with plastic items predominating. Over the last six years, significant decreases in litter and plastic abundance have been observed in the Greater North Sea. To substantially reduce marine litter, it is necessary to continue current efforts and take additional measures. Seafloor litter is widespread across the assessed area. Fisheries-related items and plastic materials predominate. In the North Sea, the chance of finding litter has increased. High variability in seafloor litter distribution can be noted in the Belgian part of the North Sea. Litter linked to fisheries accounts for 31 to 52% of all collected seafloor litter items. More litter items were observed at dredged spoil disposal site Zeebrugge-Oost which should be further investigated.	Because of frequent beach clean-ups, the amount of litter on the Belgian coast is an indication of the cleanliness of the beach, rather than a representative figure on the amount of beached litter items. Nevertheless, the results always exceed the threshold of 20 items/100 m. Plastic (84%) is the most common material encountered. At OSPAR level, beach litter levels remain high with plastic items predominating. Over the last six years, significant decreases in litter and plastic abundance have been observed in the Greater North Sea. To substantially reduce marine litter, it is necessary to continue current efforts and take additional measures. Seafloor litter is widespread across the assessed area. Fisheries-related items and plastic materials predominate. In the North Sea, the chance of finding litter has increased. High variability in seafloor litter distribution can be noted in the Belgian part of the North Sea. Litter linked to fisheries accounts for 31 to 52% of all collected seafloor litter items. More litter items were observed at dredged spoil disposal site Zeebrugge-Oost which should be further investigated.	Because of frequent beach clean-ups, the amount of litter on the Belgian coast is an indication of the cleanliness of the beach, rather than a representative figure on the amount of beached litter items. Nevertheless, the results always exceed the threshold of 20 items/100 m. Plastic (84%) is the most common material encountered. At OSPAR level, beach litter levels remain high with plastic items predominating. Over the last six years, significant decreases in litter and plastic abundance have been observed in the Greater North Sea. To substantially reduce marine litter, it is necessary to continue current efforts and take additional measures. Seafloor litter is widespread across the assessed area. Fisheries-related items and plastic materials predominate. In the North Sea, the chance of finding litter has increased. High variability in seafloor litter distribution can be noted in the Belgian part of the North Sea. Litter linked to fisheries accounts for 31 to 52% of all collected seafloor litter items. More litter items were observed at dredged spoil disposal site Zeebrugge-Oost which should be further investigated.	Because of frequent beach clean-ups, the amount of litter on the Belgian coast is an indication of the cleanliness of the beach, rather than a representative figure on the amount of beached litter items. Nevertheless, the results always exceed the threshold of 20 items/100 m. Plastic (84%) is the most common material encountered. At OSPAR level, beach litter levels remain high with plastic items predominating. Over the last six years, significant decreases in litter and plastic abundance have been observed in the Greater North Sea. To substantially reduce marine litter, it is necessary to continue current efforts and take additional measures. Seafloor litter is widespread across the assessed area. Fisheries-related items and plastic materials predominate. In the North Sea, the chance of finding litter has increased. High variability in seafloor litter distribution can be noted in the Belgian part of the North Sea. Litter linked to fisheries accounts for 31 to 52% of all collected seafloor litter items. More litter items were observed at dredged spoil disposal site Zeebrugge-Oost which should be further investigated.	Because of frequent beach clean-ups, the amount of litter on the Belgian coast is an indication of the cleanliness of the beach, rather than a representative figure on the amount of beached litter items. Nevertheless, the results always exceed the threshold of 20 items/100 m. Plastic (84%) is the most common material encountered. At OSPAR level, beach litter levels remain high with plastic items predominating. Over the last six years, significant decreases in litter and plastic abundance have been observed in the Greater North Sea. To substantially reduce marine litter, it is necessary to continue current efforts and take additional measures. Seafloor litter is widespread across the assessed area. Fisheries-related items and plastic materials predominate. In the North Sea, the chance of finding litter has increased. High variability in seafloor litter distribution can be noted in the Belgian part of the North Sea. Litter linked to fisheries accounts for 31 to 52% of all collected seafloor litter items. More litter items were observed at dredged spoil disposal site Zeebrugge-Oost which should be further investigated.	Because of frequent beach clean-ups, the amount of litter on the Belgian coast is an indication of the cleanliness of the beach, rather than a representative figure on the amount of beached litter items. Nevertheless, the results always exceed the threshold of 20 items/100 m. Plastic (84%) is the most common material encountered. At OSPAR level, beach litter levels remain high with plastic items predominating. Over the last six years, significant decreases in litter and plastic abundance have been observed in the Greater North Sea. To substantially reduce marine litter, it is necessary to continue current efforts and take additional measures. Seafloor litter is widespread across the assessed area. Fisheries-related items and plastic materials predominate. In the North Sea, the chance of finding litter has increased. High variability in seafloor litter distribution can be noted in the Belgian part of the North Sea. Litter linked to fisheries accounts for 31 to 52% of all collected seafloor litter items. More litter items were observed at dredged spoil disposal site Zeebrugge-Oost which should be further investigated.	Because of frequent beach clean-ups, the amount of litter on the Belgian coast is an indication of the cleanliness of the beach, rather than a representative figure on the amount of beached litter items. Nevertheless, the results always exceed the threshold of 20 items/100 m. Plastic (84%) is the most common material encountered. At OSPAR level, beach litter levels remain high with plastic items predominating. Over the last six years, significant decreases in litter and plastic abundance have been observed in the Greater North Sea. To substantially reduce marine litter, it is necessary to continue current efforts and take additional measures. Seafloor litter is widespread across the assessed area. Fisheries-related items and plastic materials predominate. In the North Sea, the chance of finding litter has increased. High variability in seafloor litter distribution can be noted in the Belgian part of the North Sea. Litter linked to fisheries accounts for 31 to 52% of all collected seafloor litter items. More litter items were observed at dredged spoil disposal site Zeebrugge-Oost which should be further investigated.	Because of frequent beach clean-ups, the amount of litter on the Belgian coast is an indication of the cleanliness of the beach, rather than a representative figure on the amount of beached litter items. Nevertheless, the results always exceed the threshold of 20 items/100 m. Plastic (84%) is the most common material encountered. At OSPAR level, beach litter levels remain high with plastic items predominating. Over the last six years, significant decreases in litter and plastic abundance have been observed in the Greater North Sea. To substantially reduce marine litter, it is necessary to continue current efforts and take additional measures. Seafloor litter is widespread across the assessed area. Fisheries-related items and plastic materials predominate. In the North Sea, the chance of finding litter has increased. High variability in seafloor litter distribution can be noted in the Belgian part of the North Sea. Litter linked to fisheries accounts for 31 to 52% of all collected seafloor litter items. More litter items were observed at dredged spoil disposal site Zeebrugge-Oost which should be further investigated.	About 9 times more microliter particles in the seabed sediments at the coastal station compared to offshore were found. The smallest particles (100-299µm) are the most abundant and fragments are the most represented particle shape. A positive correlation with organic matter and amount of silt was observed. Complementary, near the coast 8 times more microlitter particles were found in seawater compared to offshore, with the big majority being fibres. The number of microplastic particles in the water column is low ant varies a lot at the same station. Since microplastics tend to accumulate in sediment, seabed sediment appears to be the priority matrix for long-term monitoring.	About 9 times more microliter particles in the seabed sediments at the coastal station compared to offshore were found. The smallest particles (100-299µm) are the most abundant and fragments are the most represented particle shape. A positive correlation with organic matter and amount of silt was observed. Complementary, near the coast 8 times more microlitter particles were found in seawater compared to offshore, with the big majority being fibres. The number of microplastic particles in the water column is low ant varies a lot at the same station. Since microplastics tend to accumulate in sediment, seabed sediment appears to be the priority matrix for long-term monitoring.	Currently 51% of beached North Sea Fulmars have more than 0,1g of plastics in their stomachs, exceeding the Fulmar Threshold Value (Fulmar-TV) of 10%. This reflects the abundance of floating litter and provides an indication of harm. The amounts of ingested plastics have decreased significantly in the period 2009 to 2018. At OSPAR level, over the past ten years, a slight reduction in the mass of plastic in Northern Fulmar stomachs was observed in the North Sea, but the threshold value of less than 10% of Fulmars exceeding 0.1 g of plastic in their stomachs was far from being achieved.
Assessments period	2016-2021	2016-2021	2016-2021	2016-2021	2016-2021	2016-2021	2016-2021	2016-2021	2016-2021	2016-2021	2016-2021	2016-2021	2016-2021	2016-2021	2016-2021	2016-2021	2016-2021	2016-2021	2016-2021	2016-2021	2020	2020	2014-2018
Related pressures	Input of litter (solid waste matter, including micro-sized litter)	Input of litter (solid waste matter, including micro-sized litter)	Input of litter (solid waste matter, including micro-sized litter)	Input of litter (solid waste matter, including micro-sized litter)	Input of litter (solid waste matter, including micro-sized litter)	Input of litter (solid waste matter, including micro-sized litter)	Input of litter (solid waste matter, including micro-sized litter)	Input of litter (solid waste matter, including micro-sized litter)	Input of litter (solid waste matter, including micro-sized litter)	Input of litter (solid waste matter, including micro-sized litter)	Input of litter (solid waste matter, including micro-sized litter)	Input of litter (solid waste matter, including micro-sized litter)	Input of litter (solid waste matter, including micro-sized litter)	Input of litter (solid waste matter, including micro-sized litter)	Input of litter (solid waste matter, including micro-sized litter)	Input of litter (solid waste matter, including micro-sized litter)	Input of litter (solid waste matter, including micro-sized litter)	Input of litter (solid waste matter, including micro-sized litter)	Input of litter (solid waste matter, including micro-sized litter)	Input of litter (solid waste matter, including micro-sized litter)	Input of litter (solid waste matter, including micro-sized litter)	Input of litter (solid waste matter, including micro-sized litter)	Input of litter (solid waste matter, including micro-sized litter)
Related targets	D10.1 D10.2 D10.3 D10.4 D10.5 D10.6	D10.1 D10.2 D10.3 D10.4 D10.5 D10.6	D10.1 D10.2 D10.3 D10.4 D10.5 D10.6	D10.1 D10.2 D10.3 D10.4 D10.5 D10.6	D10.1 D10.2 D10.3 D10.4 D10.5 D10.6	D10.1 D10.2 D10.3 D10.4 D10.5 D10.6	D10.1 D10.2 D10.3 D10.4 D10.5 D10.6	D10.1 D10.2 D10.3 D10.4 D10.5 D10.6	D10.1 D10.2 D10.3 D10.4 D10.5 D10.6	D10.1 D10.2 D10.3 D10.4 D10.5 D10.6	D10.1 D10.2 D10.3 D10.4 D10.5 D10.6	D10.1 D10.2 D10.3 D10.4 D10.5 D10.6	D10.1 D10.2 D10.3 D10.4 D10.5 D10.6	D10.1 D10.2 D10.3 D10.4 D10.5 D10.6	D10.1 D10.2 D10.3 D10.4 D10.5 D10.6	D10.1 D10.2 D10.3 D10.4 D10.5 D10.6	D10.1 D10.2 D10.3 D10.4 D10.5 D10.6	D10.1 D10.2 D10.3 D10.4 D10.5 D10.6	D10.1 D10.2 D10.3 D10.4 D10.5 D10.6	D10.1 D10.2 D10.3 D10.4 D10.5 D10.6	D10.1 D10.2 D10.3 D10.4 D10.5 D10.6	D10.1 D10.2 D10.3 D10.4 D10.5 D10.6	D10.1 D10.2 D10.3 D10.4 D10.5 D10.6
Test TV	NA	NA	NA	NA	NA	NA	NA	NA	NA	NA	NA	NA	NA	NA	NA	NA	NA	NA	NA	NA	NA	NA	NA
Test results	Correct	Correct	False	False	Correct	False	Correct	Correct	Correct	Correct	False	Correct	Correct	False	Correct	Correct	Correct	Correct	Correct	Correct	Correct	Correct	False