The EU target of achieving good environmental status of seas by 2020 was not reached.

Omissions

• The European Commission's 2020 review noted some progress on individual descriptors and in certain marine sub-regions, but confirmed that overall GES was not achieved by the 2020 deadline.
• The MEP did not cite any specific source for the claim, although the fact is widely documented by EU institutions.

Sources

• PrimaryEuropean Commission — Marine EnvironmentThe main goal of the Marine Directive is to achieve Good Environmental Status of EU marine waters by 2020. The Directive defines Good Environmental Status (GES) as 'the environmental status of marine waters where these provide ecologically diverse and dynamic oceans and seas which are clean, healthy and productive'.
• PrimaryEuropean Court of Auditors — Special Report 26/2020In 2020, the Commission recognised that progress in reaching good environmental status had not been fast enough, and identified critical areas for improvement.
• AcademicScienceDirect — Marine Policy (Academic Article)Yet, when implemented, the Directive failed to bring about good status in any of Europe's marine regions by 2020 and to date has little impact in addressing the pressures that prevent reaching GES.
• SecondaryAZTI — EU-funded marine research centreEU fails to achieve Good Environmental Status in its seas. Groundbreaking EU-funded study highlights structural failures in marine protection and calls for urgent action to prevent irreversible ecosystem collapse.