On 24 October the European Commission presented a Thematic Strategy to protect and conserve Europe's marine environment.

Their goal to ensure that all EU marine waters are environmentally sound by 2021 is without doubt an ambitious one.

"Europe's seas and oceans make a huge contribution to our quality of life and our economic prosperity, but they are deteriorating because of over-exploitation, pollution, climate change and a range of other factors," warned Environment Commissioner Stavros Dimas. "This is an area where there is a strong need for a European overarching and integrated approach."

The strategy proposed sets out common objectives and methods to reach the required quality levels for the various marine regions (the Baltic Sea, the North-East Atlantic, the Mediterranean).

Member States will be responsible for designing and implementing plans to ensure a good environmental status in their respective marine waters, and to work in close cooperation with other countries sharing a marine area, whether these be Member States or third countries.

The Thematic Strategy will form a key component of the future Maritime Policy which will be proposed by the Commission in 2006.

Following on from the thematic strategy on improving air quality that was presented on 21 September, the marine strategy is the second in a set of seven thematic strategies proposed for the Sixth Environmental Action Programme. The other strategies will address waste prevention and recycling, the sustainable use of resources, soils, pesticides and the urban environment.