ABI-EN-MS-GDG: Good environmental status is the good functioning of marine ecosystems, their good health and the environmental sustainability of their use for human activities. The definition of good environmental status takes into account the existence of human activities at sea or on land that have an impact on the environment. As such, it is not a state that is not impacted by human activities, sometimes referred to as "pristine". In the definition of good ecological status, certain contextual elements must be taken into account. In addition to the existence of anthropogenic pressures, it is therefore necessary to consider their impacts on the environment, the long-term or short-term natural variability of ecosystems and their capacity for resilience, and global changes, particularly climate change. On the basis of the content elements of the Directive, France has chosen to define good environmental status as the long-term level of ambition for the environmental status of the marine environment, i.e. the acceptable level of impact of human activities on environmental status that does not affect the proper functioning of ecosystems. The methodology for defining good environmental status distinguishes between two bases: 1: the description of Good Environmental Status at the level of the descriptors and, where appropriate, at the level of the criteria. 2: the characterization of Good Environmental Status, which includes several elements: - the determination of "units of assessment" and relevant scales; - the definition of the method for identifying issue areas/characteristic zones; - the development of indicators to judge the achievement of GES of the marine environment, based on the previous choices; - the definition of levels/thresholds/trends associated with these indicators and their setting; - the development of an intra-descriptor aggregation method. It should be noted that the proper functioning of an ecosystem is a scientific concept, based on an ecosystem approach, which can be qualified or even quantified, in some cases today, in other cases in the future, subject to further studies, research and data acquisition. This definition will have to be revised every 6 years on the basis of new knowledge and data and will have to take into account the evolution of anthropogenic pressures and global changes. The effects of climate change are being felt on the marine environment and its functioning: they will be taken into account in the revision of the definition of Good Environmental Status as part of the context.

Good environmental status is achieved when the following conditions are cumulatively met : - the concentrations of contaminants for which a threshold is available (environmental quality standard, as defined in the Order of 25 January 2010 on methods and criteria for assessing the ecological status, chemical status and ecological potential of surface waters or environmental assessment criteria defined by the OSPAR Convention) do not exceed these thresholds; - concentrations in biota do not increase over time; - concentrations in top predators do not increase over time; - the considered effects of the contaminants are deemed insignificant.

Indicator 8.1.1: Concentration of the above-mentioned contaminants measured in the appropriate matrix (e.g. biota, sediment and water) using a method that ensures comparability with assessments carried out under Directive 2000/60/EC. The indicator consists of the level of the substances listed in Annex 2 of the Order of 17 December 2012 on the definition of good environmental status of marine waters in the relevant matrix. The levels and trends characterising good environmental status for indicator 8.1.1 are as follows : - the levels of substances in their relevant matrices comply with the EQS value, as defined in Annex 8 of the Order of 25 January 2010 on methods and criteria for assessing the ecological status, chemical status and ecological potential of surface waters, where available ; where applicable, they comply with the value of the environmental assessment criterion (EAC) or the basic assessment criterion (BAC), as defined by the OSPAR Convention; - concentrations in biota do not increase over time; - concentrations in top predators do not increase over time. Indicators related to criterion 8.2 relevant to characterising good ecological status are defined as follows : Indicator 8.2.1: Level of effects of pollution on relevant ecosystem components. The indicator consists on the one hand, in the offshore area, of chronic and long-term biological effects, and on the other hand, in the coastal area, of biological effects for which a cause and effect relationship is established and can be traced back to the cause (chemical pressure). Indicators of the effects of pollution on the components of the ecosystem concerned are indicated in Annex 2 of the Order of 17 December 2012 on the definition of good ecological status of marine waters. These indices are associated with physiological interpretation parameters (for fish: gonadosomatic and hepatosomatic index and for mussels: condition index, weight and size). The levels and trends characterizing good ecological status for indicator 8.2.1 are as follows: - the levels of biological effects identified above do not exceed the EAC/BAC as defined by the OSPAR Convention. Indicator 8.2.2: Occurrence, origin and extent of acute pollution episodes and their impacts. The indicator consists of the frequency, identification of origin (ship or fixed installation) and extent (in km2 ) of acute pollution caused by substances with a physical impact on the environment: oil, coal, minerals, vegetable oils and grain. The effects of their discharge into the marine environment are of two types: fouling (at the surface) and asphyxiation (at the bottom).

The levels and trends characterising good environmental status for indicator 8.2.2, as well as additional indicators associated with criterion 8.2 related to impact, and the rules for aggregation at the level of the criteria and, where appropriate, the descriptor will be specified following further studies, as provided for in Article 4 of the Order of 17 December 2012 on the definition of good environmental status of marine waters. These elements will be developed with a view to updating the definition of good environmental status by 2018.