The cost of degradation assessment provides monetary estimates of the benefits of achieving Good Environmental Status (GES) in the Finnish marine waters of the Baltic Sea. The designed contingent valuation study addresses the non-market benefits related to all descriptors defining GES in the Baltic Sea. Double-counting is avoided when all descriptors, which are to some extent overlapping, are included in a single study. A payment card approach was used as an elicitation format. Finland assessed the cost of degradation by qualitatively describing the current state of marine environment and the marine environment in GES for all the 11 descriptors which were grouped to 'biodiversity', 'non-indigenous species', 'fish stocks', 'eutrophication', 'hazardous substances' and 'physical impacts'. The descriptions are given in the a background report of the Finland's paper report. According to the MSFD, the target is to achieve GES by 2020. However, as it was unrealistic to claim that the changes would take place by 2020 (within 3 years of the survey), a more plausible target year of 2040 was used instead based on expert opinions by marine scientists. The analysis is described in Finland's national report in Chapter 5.8.