DELMAR project aimed to develop an interdisciplinary approach to benthic habitats on the Romanian Black Sea shelf and their evolution. The project emerged in the context of the transposition into the national legislation of the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD), which complements the provisions of the Water Framework Directive 2000/60/EC applied to coastal and transitional waters, a Directive that imposes a holistic approach to the marine environment, based on the adoption of adaptive management, which also covers the offshore area. At the time of the project, Romania had a habitat classification system derived from the implementation of the Habitats Directives 92/43/EEC and Birds Directives 79/409/EEC, through which Special Areas of Conservation were established, included in the Natura 2000 network. These are located mainly in the coastal area, while the offshore area, although characterized by the presence of biotopes representative of the bionomy of the Romanian shelf, is excluded from this classification scheme. The application of the EUNIS classification system within the specific framework of each region by Member States implies the integration of non-biological components (substrate, hydrogeological and hydrochemical conditions) and biological components (structure and condition of component communities) in the definition and delimitation of habitats in each region. These elements must, according to the DCSM, form the basis for the application of sustainable management, which capitalizes both the intrinsic value of biological diversity and the services provided by the habitat.