The European Union (EU) establishes with this directive a Community framework for water protection and management with a number of objectives: preventing and reducing pollution, promoting sustainable water usage, environmental protection, improving aquatic ecosystems and mitigating the effects of floods and droughts. Its ultimate objective is to achieve “good ecological and chemical status” for all Community waters by 2015. This directive urges the Member States to identify and analyse European waters, on the basis of individual river basin and district. They shall then adopt management plans and programmes of measures adapted to each body of water.
Directive 2000/60/CE of the European Parliament and of the Council of 23 October 2000 establishing a framework for Community action in the field of water policy.
Water protection and management (Water Framework Directive)
The European Union (EC) has established a Community framework for water protection and management. Firstly, Member States must identify and analyse European waters, on the basis of individual river basin and district. They shall then adopt management plans and programmes of measures adapted to each body of water.
Directive 2000/60/CE of the European Parliament and of the Council of 23 October 2000 establishing a framework for Community action in the field of water policy.
SUMMARY
The European Union (EC) has established a framework for the protection of:
- inland surface waters;
- groundwater;
- transitional waters; and
- coastal waters.
This Framework-Directive has a number of objectives, such as preventing and reducing pollution, promoting sustainable water usage, environmental protection, improving aquatic ecosystems and mitigating the effects of floods and droughts.
Its ultimate objective is to achieve “good ecological and chemical status” for all Community waters by 2015.
Administrative arrangements
Member States have to identify all the river basins * lying within their national territory and to assign them to individual river basin districts *. River basins covering the territory of more than one Member State will be assigned to an international river basin district.
Member States are to designate a competent authority for the application of the rules provided for in this Framework-Directive within each river basin district.
Identification and analysis of waters
By 2004 at the latest, each Member State shall produce:
- an analysis of the characteristics of each river basin district;
- a review of the impact of human activity on water;
- an economic analysis of water use;
- a register of areas requiring special protection;
- a survey of all bodies of water used for abstracting water for human consumption and producing more than 10 m3 per day or serving more than 50 persons.
This analysis must be revised in 2013 and every six years thereafter.
Management plans and programmes of measures
In 2009, nine years after the Framework-Directive entered into force, management plans were produced for each river basin district, taking account of the results of the analyses and studies carried out. These plans cover the period 2009-2015. They shall be revised in 2015 and then every six years thereafter.
The management plans must be implemented in 2012. They aim to:
- prevent deterioration, enhance and restore bodies of surface water, achieve good chemical and ecological status of such water by 2015 at the latest and to reduce pollution from discharges and emissions of hazardous substances;
- protect, enhance and restore the status of all bodies of groundwater, prevent the pollution and deterioration of groundwater, and ensure a balance between groundwater abstraction and replenishment;
- preserve protected areas.
The management plans for river basin districts can be complemented by more detailed management programmes and plans for a sub-basin, a sector or a particular type of water.
Temporary deterioration of bodies of water is not in breach of the requirements of this Framework-Directive if it is the result of circumstances which are exceptional or could not reasonably have been foreseen and which are due to an accident, natural causes or force majeure.
Member States shall encourage participation by all stakeholders in the implementation of this Framework-Directive, specifically with regard to the management plans for river basin districts. Projects from the management plans must be submitted to public consultation for at least 6 months.
From 2010, Member States must ensure that water pricing policies provide adequate incentives for users to use water resources efficiently and that the various economic sectors contribute to the recovery of the costs of water services, including those relating to the environment and resources.
Member States must introduce arrangements to ensure that effective, proportionate and dissuasive penalties are imposed in the event of breaches of the provisions of this Framework Directive.
A list of priority substances selected from among the ones which present a significant risk to the aquatic environment has been drawn up at European level. This list is set out in Annex X to this Framework-Directive.
Key terms
• Inland waters: all standing or flowing water on the surface of the land, and all groundwater on the landward side of the baseline from which the breadth of territorial waters is measured.
• Surface water: inland waters, except groundwater, transitional waters and coastal waters, except in respect of chemical status, for which territorial waters are also included.
• Groundwater: all water which is below the surface of the ground in the saturation zone and in direct contact with the ground or subsoil.
• Transitional waters: bodies of surface water in the vicinity of river mouths which are partly saline in character as a result of their proximity to coastal waters but which are substantially influenced by freshwater flows.
• Coastal water: surface water on the landward side of a line every point of which is at a distance of one nautical mile on the seaward side from the nearest point of the baseline from which the breadth of territorial waters is measured, extending where appropriate up to the outer limit of transitional waters.
• River basin: the area of land from which all surface run-off flows through a sequence of streams, rivers and, possibly, lakes into the sea at a single river mouth, estuary or delta.
• River basin district: the area of land and sea, made up of one or more neighbouring river basins together with their associated groundwaters and coastal waters, which is identified as the main unit for management of river basins.
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Source – EUROPA > Summary of the EU legislation