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The map is intended for the sole purpose of supporting the implementation of the MSFD by Member States, stakeholders and the European Commission and its agencies.

The map is intended for the sole purpose of supporting the implementation of the MSFD by Member States, stakeholders and the European Commission and its agencies.

It provides the boundaries of the marine regions and subregions, as listed in MSFD Article 4. In accordance with MSFD Article 4(1), Member States shall, when implementing the MSFD, take due account of the fact that their marine waters form an integral part of these marine regions. The map and associated GIS data files are solely meant to depict these marine regions and subregions that Member States shall take due account of, including in relation to transboundary effects on the quality of the marine environment of third States in the same marine region or subregion, in accordance with MSFD Article 2(1).

The map is not intended to provide boundaries of the marine waters of Member States as defined under MSFD Article 3(1). This means that the map and associated GIS data files do not represent the geographic scope of application of the MSFD as the MSFD only applies to Member States' marine waters, which are understood to lie within the marine regions and subregions. Further, in those areas of Member States' marine waters, the map makes no distinction between the jurisdiction over both the water column and the seabed or only the seabed.

As such the map should not be understood as representing international marine borders. To this end, the following disclaimer will accompany the map: "This map serves as a working tool only and shall not be considered as an official or legally-binding map representing marine borders in accordance with international law. This map shall be used without prejudice to the agreements that will be concluded between Member States or between Member States and non-EU states in respect of their marine borders.".

As it is not intended to provide boundaries of Member States' marine waters, the landward boundaries used do not constitute the formal boundary of these marine waters, but instead uses a harmonised coastline boundary for cartographic consistency.

In the North East Atlantic Ocean region, the outer boundary of the Celtic Seas, Bay of Biscay and the Iberian Coast and Macaronesia subregions is intended to fully encompass the marine waters of the relevant Member States. This includes the Continental Shelf areas where these extend beyond Exclusive Economic Zones. For the North East Atlantic Ocean region, the boundaries shown in the present map include those Continental Shelf areas which have so far been reported by the Member States concerned. As and when Member States report modifications to the boundaries of their marine waters, such as further Continental Shelf areas following conclusions under UNCLOS processes, this MSFD map should be updated.

Notwithstanding the need to update the map on the basis of point (f), the boundaries of the marine regions and subregions should be periodically reviewed to ensure they serve the purposes of the MSFD, and in particular an ecosystem-based approach to management of the marine environment. Such review should be undertaken in advance of the periodic updates of Article 8 and take into account the latest scientific evidence on the characteristics of the marine ecosystems, as reflected in MSFD Art. 3(2).