Goal 14: 3. Main Indicators

Key trends in “Life below water” in Europe show the following evidence (Eurostat Report, pp. 273 and ss):

• Excellent bathing water quality is increasingly being achieved in European coastal waters;
• Pollution continues to threaten the marine environment;
• Ocean acidification poses a risk to the marine environment and global climate regulation;
• The extent of marine protected areas has been growing in the EU;
• The conservation status of marine habitats and species remains unfavourable;
• Fisheries in the North-East Atlantic and adjacent seas (FAO 27 area) have become more sustainable ;
• Fisheries in the Mediterranean and Black Seas face greater threats to sustainability and have had an insufficient number of assessments.

Goal 14’s attainment is monitored through the following main indicators: Source: EU SDG Indicator set 2019, p. 26: