The (Non-)Implementation of the EU Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD). Difficulties in the Practical and Legal Implementation of the MSFD in Sweden.

The Marine Strategy Framework Directive’s (MSFD) main goal was to achieve good environmental status (GES) for the marine environment by 2020, which was failed by all Member States, including Sweden. This leads to the following research question: why has the MSFD not fully been implemented in Sweden, despite the MSFD’s goal to achieve GES by 2020? This thesis uses the adapted policy cycle model by Young and Quinn (2002) with Nabitz and Hirzel’s (2019) “double-loop” and analyzes official EU reports and three semi-structured interviews with employees working for the Swedish competent authority responsible for the MSFD implementation. The analysis reveals five reasons: granted exception for not achieving GES in multiple descriptors, troubles of policy coordination, the slow environmental response to measures, lack of clarity within documents, and different perceptions of ambition regarding GES and the directive’s deadline. These findings contribute to the practical MSFD implementation and existing noncompliance research.