It can be said that overall GES for D1/6 cannot yet be established, but at the minimum, good environmental status is achieved if good environmental status is achieved, if:
... the coastal waters in accordance with the Water Framework Directive are in good environmental status and in good chemical status.
... are in a favourable conservation status for the habitat types of Annex I (habitat type 11) to the Habitats Directive relevant to the marine sector in the North Sea.
... the species of Annex II to the Habitats Directive, relevant for the marine sector in the North Sea, as well as species of the Birds Directive relevant to the marine sector in the North Sea, are in favourable conservation status due to the quality of their food habitat.
... the species, species groups and habitats listed in the Wadden Sea are in good condition.
... the objectives are achieved by single species or group specific conventions (e.g. ASCOBANS, seal agreement).
... the Ecological Quality Objectives (EcoQO), as defined by OSPAR.

For the assessment of good environmental status in relation to D1-Pelagic habitats, criterion D1C6 is used as set out in Commission Decision (EU) 2017/848. Pending the development of the necessary assessment methods, use in the coastal waters of < 1 nautical mile on criteria D5C2 and D5C3 and in the open North Sea > 1 nautical mile on criteria D5C2, D5C3 and D5C4.
Explanation: Germany does not update the general description of good environmental status (GES) from 2012 at descriptor level in this reporting exercise. Over the reporting period, Germany has worked with the North Sea countries in the framework of the EU's MSFD CIS process and in OSPAR to develop methodological standards (indicators, evaluation procedures). Specific aspects of criteria and indicators that contribute to a quantitative assessment of good environmental status are reported in the reporting scheme Article 8_GES. For the assessment of the criteria set out in Commission Decision (EU) 2017/848, the relevant assessments under other EU directives shall be taken into account under Article 8_GES, taking into account, as far as possible, the regional assessments that have been coordinated so far and, on a case-by-case basis, supplemented by national assessments.

GES not determined at sub-regional level under Art. 3 MSFD.

The state of the habitat type, including its biotic and abiotic structure and its functions (e.g. the typical species composition and their relative density, absence of particularly sensitive or vulnerable species, or species that have an important function in the ecosystem, or species size structure) are not adversely affected by man-made pressures.

For pelagic habitats, good environmental status is achieved when the spatial and temporal variation in the plankton community remains within a range that indicates good environmental status. The ranges to be used must still be determined regionally in the second cycle.

The state of the habitat type, including the biotic and abiotic structure and its functions (e.g. its characteristic species composition and their relative density, the non-occurrence of particularly sensitive or vulnerable species or species having an essential function, the size composition species), is not adversely affected due to anthropogenic pressures.

GES not determined at sub-regional level as laid down in Article 3(5)(b) of the MSFD. The description of Decision (EU) 2017/848 was maintained: "The condition of the habitat type, including its biotic and abiotic structure and its functions (e.g. its typical species composition and relative abundance, the absence of particularly sensitive or fragile species or species that provide an essential function and the size structure of the species), is not adversely affected by anthropogenic pressures."

D1.6: In the coastal waters < 1 nautical mile, criterion D5C4 is not applied, as water transparency is not an appropriate parameter to assess the effects of eutrophication due to high natural turbidity.

D1.6: Insufficient data


D1C6: GES not determined at sub-regional level as laid down in Article 3 (5) (b) of the MSFD. Insufficient data to establish GES. Evaluation methods and thresholds not established.

D1C6: For D1C6, good environmental status is considered descriptive, as at present there are no regional or subregional coordinated thresholds for good environmental status in the pelagic habitat.

D1.6: Regional cooperation in the reporting period focused on the development of methodological standards for assessing the various pressure and condition aspects based on Commission Decision 2010/477/EU. In the regional or subregional cooperation, within the framework of OSPAR, it has mostly not been possible to agree threshold values for these indicators in order to make (quantitative) statements about the state of the affected loads or the ecosystem components. Commission Decision (EU) 2017/848 results in an explicit obligation for the EU member states to agree assessment elements, threshold values and integration rules within the framework of the EU MSFD CIS process and through regional or subregional cooperation. Germany is actively working with the states bordering the North Sea, within the framework of the current work programmes of the EU MSFD CIS process and the OSPAR bodies, to establish them, where a coordinated definition is still missing.

D1C6: Actions to start further monitoring of the water column are undertaken. The establishment of a threshold assessment method requires more scientific knowledge and development at regional level.

D1C6: The evaluation of component D1 "Pelagic habitats" is based exclusively on the study of planktonic communities. This assessment is based on the use of 3 indicators developed within the framework of the OSPAR Regional Sea Convention, in particular within the EcApRHA project. In the absence of threshold values and due to a lack of data (in particular for offshore areas and for zooplankton), none of these indicators made it possible to assess the D1C6 criterion for any major type of pelagic habitat. The methodological standards associated with this criterion will be clarified following further studies, as provided for in the 2019 Ministerial Order relating to the definition of good ecological status for marine waters. The summary of the evaluation is available via this link: https://doi.org/10.13155/60193.

D1C6: It was not possible to analyse the state of pelagic habitats.

D1.6: Insufficient data


D1C6: There is a widespread information gap with regard to pelagic habitats in the Azores for this criterion, and there are no regular long-term monitoring programmes in situ for oceanographic, physical, chemical and planktonic communities on a regional scale, but only sporadic studies that do not follow a standardised methodology. It is therefore not possible to determine benchmarks and thresholds in this cycle or to determine GES.