Stakeholders are 
meeting today in Brussels for the STAGES final workshop. The STAGES project (2012-2014) is now in it’s final phase and has delivered a number of concrete outputs to support a more efficient transfer of knowledge between science and implementation of the EU Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD). The workshop participants include representatives of national government agencies, Regional Seas Conventions, the European Commission (DG ENV, DG Research & Innovation, DG MARE & the JRC), NGOs and STAGES partners. At the event, EMB is presenting a proposal for an integrated science policy interface (SPI) for MSFD. The SPI proposal has been developed following an extensive stakeholder consultation and analysis of best practice. Through the collaborative work of STAGES, the EMB and STAGES partners have played an important role in improving the scientific evidence base to support implementation of MSFD and to underpin the future health and productivity of European seas. Further information on the STAGES project can be found on the STAGES website.