S.L. 549.62 Art. 10Programme of measures.

(1) The competent authority shall, in respect of the Ionian

Sea and the Central Mediterranean Sea marine subregion, identify the measures which need to be taken in order to achieve or maintain good environmental status, as determined pursuant to regulation 7, in Malta’s marine waters.

(2) Those measures shall be devised on the basis of the initial assessment made pursuant to regulation 6(1) and by reference to the environmental targets established pursuant to regulation 8(1), and taking into consideration the types of measures listed in Schedule V.

(3) The competent authority shall integrate the measures devised pursuant to sub-regulation (1) into a programme of measures, taking into account relevant measures required under Community legislation, in particular Directive 2000/60/EC, Council Directive 91/271/EEC concerning urban waste-water treatment and Directive 2006/7/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 15 February 2006 concerning the management of bathing water quality, as well as Directive 2008/105/EC on environmental quality standards in the field of water policy, or international agreements.

(4) When drawing up the programme of measures pursuant to sub-regulation (3), the competent authority shall give due consideration to sustainable development and, in particular, to the social and economic impacts of the measures envisaged.

(5) The competent authority shall ensure that measures are cost-effective and technically feasible, and shall carry out impact assessments, including cost-benefit analyses, prior to the introduction of any new measure.

(6) Programmes of measures established pursuant to this regulation shall include spatial protection measures, contributing to coherent and representative networks of marine protected areas, adequately covering the diversity of the constituent ecosystems, such as special areas of conservation pursuant to the Habitats Directive, special protection areas pursuant to the Birds Directive, and marine protected areas within the framework of international agreements to which Malta is a contracting party.

(7) Where the competent authority considers that the management of a human activity at Community or international level is likely to have a significant impact on the marine environment, particularly in the areas addressed in subregulation (6), it shall, individually or jointly with neighbouring competent authorities, address the relevant competent authority or international organisation concerned with a view to the consideration and possible adoption of measures that may be necessary in order to achieve the objectives of these regulations, so as to enable the integrity, structure and functioning of ecosystems to be maintained or, where appropriate, restored.

(8) By 2013 at the latest, the competent authority shall make publicly available, in respect of the Ionian Sea and the Central Mediterranean Sea marine subregion, relevant information on the areas referred to in sub-regulations (6) and (7).

(9) The competent authority shall indicate in the programme of measures how the measures are to be implemented and how they will contribute to the achievement of the environmental targets established pursuant to regulation 8(1).

(10) The competent authority shall consider the implications of the programme of measure on waters beyond Malta’s marine waters in order to minimise the risk of damage to, and if possible have a positive impact on, those waters.

(11) The competent authority shall ensure that the programme of measures is made operational within one year of its establishment.