On 14 May 2008, the Council adopted the Marine Strategy Framework Directive, which aims at ensuring healthy European marine waters by 2020, taking into account the geographic and climatic specificity of different marine ecosystems.

According to this Directive, Member States will have to develop marine strategies for their European waters, including: a detailed assessment of the state of the environment, a definition of "good environmental status" at regional level by 2012, and environmental targets and monitoring programmes (targets will have to be achieved by 2016). Member States have 2 years to transpose the Directive after its entry into force.