S.L. 549.62 Art. 7Determination of good environmental status.

(1) Good environmental status shall be determined at the level of the marine subregion as referred to in regulation 5 on the basis of the qualitative descriptors in Schedule I. Adaptive management on the basis of the ecosystem approach shall be applied with the aim of attaining good environmental status.

(2) By reference to the initial assessment made pursuant to regulation 6(1), the competent authority, in respect of Ionian Sea and the Central Mediterranean Sea marine subregion, shall determine, for Malta’s marine waters, a set of characteristics for good environmental status, on the basis of the qualitative descriptors listed in Schedule I. The competent authority shall take into account the indicative lists of elements set out in Table 1 of Schedule II and, in particular, physical and chemical features, habitat types, biological features and hydromorphology.

(3) The competent authority shall also take into account the pressures or impacts of human activities in each marine region or subregion, having regard to the indicative lists set out in Table 2 of Schedule II.