Water, Marine & Fisheries

Our Work

IEEP has a long track record of examining the challenges in the implementation of water, marine and fisheries legislation, primarily the Water Framework Directive, the Marine Strategy Framework Directive and the Common Fisheries Policy.

Our fisheries and marine work has a track record of analysing and commenting on the evolution of EU fisheries policies and related marine environmental initiatives for over 16 years. We have undertaken a number of projects and studies on specific areas such as fisheries governance, management and subsidies; policies and instruments to tackle marine litter pollution; and establishing, implementing and funding marine protected areas.

IEEP undertakes a wide range of work on EU water policy, focusing on the Water Framework Directive, but also on the many ‘supporting’ Directives. Our work includes highly influential projects for the Commission, such as supporting development of the Water Blueprint, Fitness Check and supporting the Common Implementation Strategy.  

Regarding work in this area, please contact Stephanie Newman.

Latest in Water, Marine & Fisheries

  • IEEP contributes to free online course on marine litter for United Nations Environment

    The United Nations Environment’s second Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) on marine litter was created to educate participants at all levels and backgrounds to take action on marine ...

  • Greening taxes and subsidies in the Pacific

    IEEP will share its expertise on environmental taxation and the reform of environmentally harmful subsidies at a forum event on greening taxation and subsidies in the Pacific region during the IUCN World Conservation Congress in Hawaii.

  • New open access book on marine litter

    A new book, 'Marine Anthropogenic Litter', has been published comprising 16 chapters on various aspects of the complex issue of litter in the world’s oceans. Researchers from IEEP contributed a chapter on the economics of marine litter. The whole book is free to view online.

  • Looking beyond Paris

    The latest edition of IEEP's newsletter is now available. David Baldock argues that in the next six months the EU has a substantive role in contributing to agreement on an ambitious but credible set of SDGs and more stretching climate targets. Also: energy efficiency and security; bioeconomy; and circular economy.

  • Access IEEP’s definitive guide to European environmental policy

    The award-winning Manual of European Environmental Policy is now available on IEEP’s website. This archive provides free access to the definitive guide to the development of European environmental policy.

  • The Manual: Front pages

    This is a chapter of IEEP’s Manual of European Environmental Policy. This chapter provides information on the authors, editors and editorial board involved in the Manual, as well as guidance on how to use it, and a brief outline of its content.

  • The Manual: Chapter 13 - Sectoral policies

    This is a chapter of IEEP’s Manual of European Environmental Policy. This chapter sets out the development of some of the most important links between EU environmental policy and other policy areas, such as agriculture, forestry, fisheries, transport, trade, and so on.

  • Guidelines for biodiversity proofing the EU budget

    This report provides a practical framework to ensure that spending under the EU budget has no negative impacts on biodiversity, and that spending under the EU budget is overall supportive to achieving the biodiversity targets.

  • Greener Britain: Practical proposals for party manifestos from the environment and conservation sector

    A coalition of the UK’s leading environmental groups, including IEEP, is calling for all political parties to commit to a greener Britain by 2020 by pledging seven major priorities to reform the way we use energy, build communities and protect nature.

  • Environmental policy and the UK’s review of the EU Balance of Competences

    The UK Government’s Balance of Competences review has now taken evidence on 25 subject areas, including the 6 with the most relevance for the Environment. We take stock of the IEEP’s contributions, and consider what a possible UK renegotiation might mean for the environment.

  • 40 years of cooperation in protecting the Baltic Sea

    IEEP’s Marianne Kettunen gave a presentation at the Helsinki Convention (HELCOM) Jubilee Session on the understanding and valuation of marine ecosystem services, Helsinki, 5 Mar 2014.

  • Understanding and valuing ecosystem services provided by the Baltic Sea

    IEEP’s Marianne Kettunen outlined key perspectives on the valuation of coastal and marine ecosystem services in a regional workshop on the Valuation of Marine and Coastal Ecosystem Services in the Baltic Sea, Stockholm (7-8 Nov 2013)

  • Biodiversity proofing of the EU budget

    This study shows how more can be done to firstly avoid and minimize detrimental impacts of EU funding on biodiversity, and secondly to increase biodiversity benefits.

  • EU Natural Resources policy: Signposts on the roadmap to sustainability

    The EU is committed to building improved resource efficiency into its economic strategy, starting with a “roadmap” this year. A new paper from the Institute sets out the challenges, reviews the mixed results of previous EU policy in this area and suggests a number of ways forward. Both a broad vision and an array of practical policy initiatives are required.

  • Funding Natura 2000

    The study assesses the successes and shortcomings of the existing EU framework for funding Natura 2000 and identifies possibilities for improving these financing arrangements in the future.

  • Valuing and Conserving Ecosystem Services: a Scoping Case Study in the Danube Basin

    The report for WWF provides an assessment of the value and status of some key ecosystem services in the Danube Basin, and some policy instruments to support them.