Good Environmental Status (GES) for the descriptor is achieved if concentrations of pollutants in biota, sediment and water are compliant with the environmental quality standards (EQS) in accordance with the Water Framework Directive, the EQS daughter Directive 2008/105/EC and the Surface Water Regulation (GewV) and the Ecological Quality Assurance objectives and environmental quality objectives of the OSPAR JAMP/CEMP. Due to the significant uncertainties and knowledge gaps that still exist in the current UQNs and Environmental Assessment Criteria, the precautionary principle should be used as an additional criterion for assessment. In addition, other specific requirements deriving from the MSFD must be met, in particular the compliance with further environmental quality standards/environmental quality targets for sediment and biota, and the taking into account of biological pollution effects.

The criteria for assessing GES for D8 set out in Commission Decision (EU) 2017/848 are as follows: D8C1, D8C2, D8C3, D8C4.

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 Seas countries in the framework of the EU's MSFD 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 Art. 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.

Concentrations of contaminants are at levels not giving rise to pollution effects.

An area presented an environmental state if it does not exceed the established levels of pollutants by the competent authorities and regional bodies on a large majority of their samples and when the time trends are decreasing or remaining stable (in those cases where the levels detected are close to the base value). The threshold selected for deciding whether a site or region complies with GES is that 95 % of the evaluated indicators are below T1 (EACs, ECS, ERLs). Values above T1 mean that the concentration of the dangerous substance may pose a risk to the environment and the species present there.

BEA not determined at sub-regional level as laid down in Article 3 (5) (b) of the MSFD due to lack of data on the presence of contaminants in the region, it is not possible to compare parameter values with the thresholds laid down in the Community Directives.


D8C1- In coastal and territorial waters and outside the territorial waters the concentrations of contaminants do not exceed the established threshold values.
D8C3 ? The spatial extent and duration of significant acute pollution events are minimised.


GES not determined at sub-regional level as laid down in Article 3 (5) (b) of the MSFD. Assessment under Art. 8 based on the level of risk, considering that if the risk of contamination due to anthropogenic pressures is low, GES is achieved.


GES not determined at sub-regional level as laid down in Article 3 (5) (b) of the MSFD. In the Art.8 assessment it was considered that if the values of the parameters used to assess D8C1 do not exceed the thresholds set out in the Community Directives or estimated on the basis of the compilation of historical data or the size of the area where the thresholds were exceeded is reduced (below 10 % of the total assessment area), GES is achieved.

D8C1 Concentrations of hazardous substances in relevant matrix (biota, sediment or water) do not exceed the values for marine environment in regulation HVMFS 2013:19 or values established through regional or subregional cooperation. GES:When all substances achieve the threshold values in the assessment area. The assessment is made separately for uPBT-substances and non-uPBT-substances.

The concentrations of pollutants in coastal and territorial waters do not exceed the environmental quality requirements set by the Water Framework Directive. The concentrations of pollutants outside coastal and territorial waters do not exceed the thresholds set.

For coastal waters (up to 12 nautical miles): The concentrations of polluting substances relevant to the marine environment, measured in the most appropriate compartment (water, sediment or biota), comply with the Environmental Quality Standards used in the WFD in the 12-mile zone (for priority substances) and within the 1-mile zone (for all other substances) respectively.


For offshore waters (from 1 or 12 nautical miles respectively): The concentrations of pollutants relevant to the marine environment, measured in the most appropriate compartment (water, sediment or biota) show a downward trend (in accordance with OSPAR).

Within coastal and territorial waters the concentrations of pollutants do not exceed the agreed thresholds (EQS of WFD, OSPAR of OSPAR).

Contaminant concentrations do not exceed threshold values (Decision 2017/848/EU).

Levels of imposex / intersex in sea snails in all Danish marine areas do not exceed the set thresholds. Note: No relevant feature for D8C2 was found in the list of features

Decreasing trend with respect to 2012 of imposex.

The health of species and the condition of habitats (such as their species composition and relative abundance at locations of chronic pollution) are not adversely affected due to contaminants including cumulative and synergetic effects. Threshold values as defined in OSPAR (Ecological Quality Objectives) are used for this purpose.

Characteristics related to species health and habitat status (e.g. species composition and relative abundance in chronically polluted locations) are not adversely affected by contaminants, including cumulative and synergistic effects (Decision 2017/848/EU).

The extent of significant acute pollution events is minimized

The spatial extent and duration of the significant serious contaminants are kept to a minimum.

The spatial extent and duration of significant acute pollution events are minimised.

The adverse effects of major acute pollution events on species health and habitat status have been minimized and, as far as possible, eliminated.

The adverse effects of significant acute pollution events on the health of species and on the condition of habitats (such as their species composition and relative abundance) are minimised and, where possible, eliminated.

Adverse effects of significant acute pollution episodes on species health and habitat status (such as species composition and relative abundance) are minimised and, where possible, eliminated (Decision 2017/848/EU).

D8C4: A large-scale acute maritime pollution will implement a monitoring programme based on PREMIAM rules to evaluate and, where possible, minimise the impact of pollution on the marine environment.

D8: MRUs: ABI-TA-AUTE_ZEEA2, ZZEB2, ZZEC2 and AMA-PT-DEC-: Criteria D8C1 and D8C3 not evaluated. Assessment based on low risk.


D8C3: Low risk

D8: 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.

D8C1: Criterion D8C1 could only be partially assessed for all contaminants in this evaluation due primarily to the lack of an aggregation (threshold) rule at the individual parameter level or a rule for integrating parameters at the criterion level. Indeed, the assessment of the state of each contaminant is carried out at the level of the elementary unit of assessment of the parameter, without aggregation at the MRU level. However, the assessment allows the identification of (i) problematic substances in order to direct efforts towards potential sources and (ii) areas where actions need to be implemented to return to or maintain good status. The methodological standards relating to this criterion will be specified following further studies, as provided for in Ministerial Order 2019 on the definition of good environmental status of marine waters.



D8C1: Criterion D8C1 could only be partially assessed for all contaminants in this evaluation due primarily to the lack of an aggregation (threshold) rule at the level of each parameter and a rule for integrating the parameters at the level of the criterion. Indeed, the assessment of the state of each contaminant is carried out at the level of the elementary unit of assessment of the parameter, without aggregation at the MRU level. However, the assessment allows the identification of (i) problematic substances in order to direct efforts towards potential sources and (ii) areas where actions need to be implemented to return to or maintain good status. The methodological standards relating to this criterion will be specified following further studies, as provided for in Ministerial Order 2019 on the definition of good environmental status of marine waters.



D8C3: Criterion D8C3 (duration and spatial extent of acute pollution events) could not be filled in for this assessment. Indeed, data from accidental pollution reports (POLREPs) could not be collected and the information associated with the POLREPs does not allow a robust assessment of this criterion to be proposed. The methodological standards for this criterion will be specified following further studies, as provided for in the Ministerial Order 2019 on the definition of good environmental status of marine waters.

D8: The definition of GES does not change. However, its definition in the next evaluations should take into account a larger number of pollutants of a persistent, emerging type, etc. They can damage the environment and therefore influence the GES. The improvement of monitoring programmes and the increase in pollutants measured will lead to an improvement in the evaluation of GES.