1 Water is for life: How the Water Framework Directive helps safeguard Europe’s resources More information on the European Union is available on the Internet (http://europa.eu). Cataloguing data can be found at the end of this publication. Luxembourg: Publications Office of the European Union ISBN 978-92-79-13538-5 doi 10.2779/83017 © European Union, 2010 Reproduction is authorised provided the source is acknowledged. Printed in Belgium PRINTED ON RECYCLED PAPER THAT HAS BEEN AWARDED THE EU ECO-LABEL FOR GRAPHIC PAPER (WWW.ECOLABEL.EU) Europe Direct is a service to help you find answers to your questions about the European Union Freephone number (*) : 00 800 6 7 8 9 10 11 (*) Certain mobile telephone operators do not allow access to 00 800 numbers or these calls may be billed. CONTENTS The importance of water 4 What is the European Union’s role? 6 Human pressures on the quality of our waters and impacts on the environment 8 The Water Framework Directive – an EU water policy framework 10 Environmental objectives: what is good ecological and chemical status? 12 De ning and monitoring the status of surface andgroundwaters 13 A framework for integrated international cooperation across the catchments and coastal areas 14 Implementing the Water Framework Directive – an ongoing process 15 The Water Framework Directive sets out a clear timetable and status of implementation 16 River basin management plans – toolbox for integrated management of water 18 Environmental objectives and exemptions 20 A legal framework integrating relevant EU measures in the  eld of water legislation 21 Implementation support 24 Water information 24 Further reading 25 2 5 24 4 2 24 2 24 4 2 5 5 25 5 25 5 5 25 5 25 2 water.europa.eu/policy 4 Water is the key to life: a crucial resource for humanity and the rest of the living world. Everyone needs it – and not just for drinking. Our rivers, lakes, coastal and marine waters as well as our ground waters are valuable resources to protect. Society uses water to generate and sustain economic growth and prosperity, through activities such as farm- ing, commercial fi shing, energy production, manufactur- ing, transport and tourism. Water is important in deciding where we settle and how we use land. Water can also be a source of geo-political confl icts – in particular where water shortages occur. For our own well-being, not only clean drinking water but also clean water for hygiene and sanitation is crucial. Water is also used for recreational activities such as bathing, fi shing or just for enjoying the beauty of coasts, rivers and lakes in nature. We expect clean rivers and coastal waters when we go on holiday, and we expect an unlimited supply on tap for showers and baths, washing machines and dishwashers. Water is at the core of natural ecosystems, and climate reg- ulation. The hydrological cycle is the name for the continu- ous movement of water on, above and below the surface of the Earth, without beginning or end, changing through liquid, vapour and ice. Although the quantity of water on Earth remains fairly constant over time, the pattern of sup- ply is particularly vulnerable to climate change. During the coming century, scientists warn of reduced access to safe drinking water, as glaciers melt away and drought becomes more frequent in areas like the Mediterranean. This in turn will diminish the supply of water for irrigation and food production. At the same time, rainfall and river fl ow pat- terns will change. More frequent fl ooding – especially of increasingly populated fl ood plains – will increase damage to homes, infrastructure and energy supply. Flash fl oods are expected to become more frequent across Europe. Increased temperatures and reduced availability of water will also reduce water’s cooling capacity for industry and power plants. Water pollution and scarcity pose threats to human health and quality of life. But there are also wider eco- logical considerations. The free fl ow of water, unaff ected by pollution, is important to sustaining water-dependent ecosystems. A shortage of good-quality water damages aquatic, wetland and terrestrial environments, putting further pressure on fl ora and fauna that are already suff ering the impact of urbanisation and climate change. Experts have drawn attention to the value of the ‘ecosys- tem services’ we obtain from the natural world. Water is both a provisioning service – a basic material – and one of the regulating services that governs climate and weather and keeps our planet functioning. The European Environ- ment Agency estimates that wetlands around the world provide services, such as water purifi cation and carbon absorption, which could be worth €2.5 billion a year. Although humanity has long realised its dependence on water, we in Europe are now also becoming more and more aware that the supply is not infi nite, and that we need to value it accordingly. Water must be managed and protected. It is not merely a consumer product, but a precious natural resource, vital to future generations as well as our own. Without water, no life can survive. The importance of water Ou r water s 5 The Water Framework Directive protect areas used for abstraction of drinking water. Baduen, France 6 What is the European Union’s role? A river basin or a catchment cov- ers the entire river system, from the sources of small tributaries to the estuary, including its ground- water. The EU and the Member States have divided the river basins and associ- ated coastal areas into 110 river basin districts, 40 of which are international and cross borders, covering about 60% of EU territory. For example, the Vistula and Oder drain more than 95% of Polish territory. But rivers do not stop at national frontiers – they fl ow on through diff erent countries to reach the sea. All EU Member States apart from islands like Cyprus and Malta share waters with neighbouring countries. Catchment areas can be very large, or quite small. The Danube’s international river basin district (IRBD), for example, is the largest in the EU, spanning 801 463 km² and touching ten Member States and nine neighbouring countries. By contrast, the Hérault in the south of France covers 2 900 km². These waters can only be safeguarded if all the coun- tries and regions involved work together and share the responsibility. That is why an EU framework for action in the fi eld of water policy is needed, and agreement and action at river basin district level is essential. Managing water resources is also a complex process, which involves many diff erent players, such as diff erent levels of government, diff erent economic actors, and the public. Addressing all types of potentially polluting and damaging activities as well as all uses of water is therefore crucial. In 2000, the EU took a groundbreaking step when it adopted the Water Framework Directive, establishing a legal obligation to protect and restore the quality of waters across Europe. The Directive introduced an innovative approach to water management, based not on national administrative or political boundaries, but on natural geo- graphical and hydrological formations: the river basins. It also requires coordination of diff erent Community policies in a framework for action. Furthermore, it sets out a pre- cise timetable for action, with 2015 as the target date for getting all EU waters into good condition. Delta in the Sarek National Park, Sweden 7 Europe’s river basin districts (pink denotes international river basin district) 60°E50°E40°E 30°E 30°E 20°E 20°E 10°E 10°E 0° 0°10°W20°W30°W 60°N 60°N 50°N 50°N 40°N 40°N30°N 0 100 200 300 400 km IE Canaries (ES) 0100 km 025 km 025 km 0100 km 025 km Guadeloupe (FR) Martinique (FR) French Guiana (FR) Reunion (FR) Malta FI FI T o r n i o n j o k i Bothnian Bay Bothnian Sea SE SE SE Ne m un as D a u g a v a LT EE Lielupe Venta Gauja LV LT LT LV LV LV EE E a s t E s t o n i a DE DE CZ AT DE HU SI CZ AT Eider DE DE PT PT PT PT S h a n n o n FR AT R h o n e NL FR NL DE DE NL FR LU BE NL BE BE FR Sambre FR Scheldt M e u s e Seine CZ PL PL FR SI SK SK Loire Adour-Garonne Scotland C y p r u s Malta UA RO BG RS BA HR MD UA BY BY RU RU RU BY RU NO CH CH CH Warnow/ Peene Weser Solway Tweed North- umbria Humber Anglian Thames South East South West Severn Dee South Eastern N o r t h W e s t W e s t e r n W a l e s W e s t e r n South Western C a v a d o Vouga Sado C o r s i c a Northern Baltic Sea Glomma Buskerud, Vestfold and Telemark Agder Counties and Rogaland Hordaland, Sogn and Fjordane Moere and Romsdal N o r d l a n d Troms Finnmark West Estonia Kemijoki Oulujoki- Iijoki Vuoksi K y m i j o k i - G u l f o f F i n l a n d Atlantic Ocean Mediterranean Sea North Sea Baltic Sea Gidauaan Elbe Rhine Odra Vistula Danube Aland O s l o Southern Baltic Sea M i n h o Tugas National and International River Basin Districts Submissions in accordance with Article 3 of the Water Framework Directive K o k e m a e n j o k i - A r c h i p e l a g o S e a - B o t h n i a n S e a RU Tenojoki- Paatsjoki Naatamojoki- FI RU FI RU Version 22/03/2007 Skagerrak and Kattegat E m s Schlei/ Trave 1) Map based largely on submissions ofdigital River Basin Districts (RBDs) from EUMember States and Norway. 4) Coastal waters are defined in the Water Framework Directive (WFD) as extending 1 naut ical mile f rom the coastline. However, some Member States have included alarger part of their coastal waters within the RBD boundaries. 2) Some ofthe international RBDs shown on this map were notidentified as being international bythe Member States, i.e. the Adour-Garonne, R hone and Seine in France; the Vistula in Poland; the Kemijoki and Vuoksi in Finland. Both the German Eider and Schlei/Trave RBDs are shared with the Danish International RBD. Part of the Italian Ea stern Alps RBD isshared with t he Slovenian Adriatic RBD. It is understood that the Tornionjoki international RBD in Finland is shared with Swe den, most likely with part of the Bothnian Bay international RBD. As the Bothnian Bay covers several river catchment s, the Tornionjoki an d Bothnian Bay have beenkept separate in this map. The delineation of the Finnmark RBD between Norway andFinland is currently under review. Ebro Galicia Jucar Segura Guadalquivir B a l e a r i c I s l a n d s ES ES ES ES Footnotes: BE Basque country C a t a l o n i a A l g a r v e 3) Theseare th e boundaries of the river catchments extending beyond the EU27 border. They have been derived from the Catchment Characterisation and Modelling (CCM) database, developed by the Joint Research Centre (JRC), except the boundaries for the Danube international RBD which were supplied by the International Commission fo r the Protection of the Danube River (ICPDR). PL PL UA RU UK 4UK UK IE IE E a s t e r n 1 2 4 3 P r e g o l a Dniestr AL MK TR EL 11 EL EL EL BG MK BG RS AL AL RU RU Jarft PL Ucker PL Swieza PL 9 10 8 7 5 6 4 3 2 1 EL 12 Souther n Appeni nes Central Appenines Sicily S ard ini a No r t h e r n A p p e n i n e s Po Serchio IT Coastal Waters (4) Map produced byWRc, UKon behalf of European Commission , DG Environment, March 2007. c 1 2 3 Black Sea EU27 boundary East Aegean We st Ae gean (2) International River Basin Districts (within EU27) Ems (3) International River Basin Districts (outside EU27) Central Macedonia 1 Western Macedonia 2 Thessalia 4 Epirus 3 Western Sterea Ellada 5 EasternStereaEllada 6 Attica 7 8 Northern Peloponnese 9 Western Peloponnese 10 Eastern Peloponnese Crete 11 Aegean Islands 12 SE NO NO SE 13 14 13 14 Thrace Eastern Macedonia Greek RBDs Epirus Central Mace donia We ste r n M a ced o nia Eastern Alps RBD boundary Adriatic National River Basin Districts (within EU27) (1) Country border National River Basin Districts (outside EU27) Agder Loire (1) RS North Western 1 Northern Irish RBDs Danish RBDs Shannon4 North Eastern 3 Neagh Bann 2 Jutland and Funen 1 Zealand 2 Bornholm 4 Danish I nt ernational RBD 3 LT Azores (PT) 0100 km Madeira (PT) km 0100 Norte Mediterranean Andalucia Andal uc ia A t l antic ES 025 km Black Sea Doruo ES ES FR An daluc i a A t l anti c T r o e n d e l a g C o u n t i e s PL PL 8 Human pressures on the quality of our waters and impacts on the environment Signifi cant water management issues Within the EU, water is distributed unevenly due to geographical and cli- matic variations. Ireland’s lush greenery is the result of frequent rainfall sweeping in from the Atlantic, whereas Mediterranean countries can suff er months of summer drought, creating the conditions for dangerous forest fi res. Europe is also starting to confront changed and intensifi ed patterns of fl ooding, for instance fl ash fl oods. Expected sea level rise will put further pressure on coastal areas. Demand for water is growing everywhere: in the house and garden, for industry, agriculture and irrigation, lei- sure and tourism. In the south, rapid tourist development has increased pressure on water, leading to over-exploi- tation, and sometimes to desertifi cation and salt-water intrusion in coastal freshwater zones. Pressures on water quality come mainly from households, industry, and agriculture, which uses and discharges polluting chemicals and nutrients. Key driving forces, for instance, are urban developments, fl ood defences, power generation (e.g. hydropower), navigation, recrea- tion, wastewater discharge, coastal defences, freshwater fi shing, mining, and forestry. Water scarcity: Europe is not widely regarded as an arid continent, so it may be surprising to know that nearly half the EU’s population lives in ‘water-stressed’ countries, where the abstraction of water from existing freshwater sources is too high. Water scarcity aff ects 33 EU river basins. Pollution is another serious problem. Hazardous chem- icals fi nd their way into European waters from a variety of point or diff use sources, including industrial plants, farm- land, and landfi ll sites. Endocrine disruptors are espe- cially worrying as they can interfere with the hormonal W it h unev e In Europe:  Only 30% of surface water and 25% of groundwater is not at serious risk from pollution and other changes  60% of European cities over-exploit their groundwater resources  50% of wetlands are endangered due to over-exploitation of groundwater  Since 1985, the area of irrigated land in southern Europe has risen by 20% Key facts on water 9 systems of living organisms, including humans. Other pollutants include organophosphorus compounds, metals and materials in suspension. High concentrations of sewage or fertilisers in water sys- tems can cause eutrophication, promoting the growth of weeds that disrupt normal ecosystems, deprive fi sh of oxygen and interfere with water treatment. Waters choked with algae turn cloudy and discoloured, losing their aes- thetic appeal and recreational function as well as posing risks to health. There are signs of eutrophication in some 40% of European rivers and lakes, as well as coastal waters. Morphological changes – such as the building of dams, reservoirs and irrigation systems – can also cause dam- age by changing water levels, placing obstacles in the way of the natural fl ow of the rivers and thereby destroy- ing ecosystems or cutting off natural fl ood plains from water courses. Other examples of ecological impacts are temperature changes, for instance due to the use of water for cooling purposes, and the increasing presence of alien species in our waters. There is much that can be done to improve the quality and quantity of our water. Measures range from infl uencing consumer behaviour so as to minimise the use of chemicals and save resources, to changing land use and agricultural practices governing crop choices and irrigation, pollution control, restoring wetlands, and other mitigation measures. The Water Framework Directive requires Member States to identify signifi cant water management issues and hold extensive consultations with the public and interested parties to identify fi rst the problems, and then the solutions, to be included in river basin management plans. Solving the problems Pressure on water resources is increasing the risk of drought in some areas 10 History European water legislation dates back to the latter half of the 1970s, when the fi rst ‘wave’ of laws set stand- ards and targets for discharges of dangerous substances, drinking water, fi shing waters, shellfi sh waters, bathing waters and groundwater, designed to protect human health and the environment. A 1988 review identifi ed gaps to be fi lled, leading to further measures obliging Member States to control sewage from urban areas, nitrogen fertilisers from farmland, and pollution from factories and industrial plants:  1991: Urban Wastewater Treatment Directive and Nitrates Directive  1996: Directive for Integrated Pollution and Preven- tion Control (IPPC)  1998: Drinking Water Directive Nonetheless, it was becoming clear that the EU needed a more coherent approach to water policy. So the Com- mission launched an ambitious consultation process, gathering the opinions not only of Member States, the European Parliament and experts, but also of local and regional authorities, NGOs and environmentalists, industry and utility providers, community groups and individuals. The outcome was the 2000 Water Framework Directive (WFD), one of the most ambitious and comprehensive pieces of EU legislation ever. Subsequently, a number of acts have been adopted to complete the legal frame- work: on chemical pollution of surface waters, ground- water protection, and how to establish ecological status. Two other important pieces of legislation extend the scope of holistic and integrated water policy: the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (2008/56/EC) and the Floods Direct ive (2007/60/EC). Main objectives The Framework Directive is built on four main pillars: 1. Coordinated action to achieve ‘good status’ for all EU waters, including surface and groundwater, by 2015. 2. Setting up a water-management system based on natural river basin districts, crossing regional and national boundaries. 3. Integrated water management, bringing diff erent water management issues into one framework. 4. Active involvement of interested parties and con- sultation of the public. It covers groundwater and all surface waters including rivers, lakes, coastal waters and ‘transitional waters’, such as estuaries that connect fresh and saltwater. It sets a less ambitious objective – ‘good potential’ – for artifi cial and ‘heavily modifi ed’ bodies of water such as canals and reservoirs, or industrial ports. It also streamlines EU legis- lation by replacing seven of the ‘fi rst wave’ Directives, and incorporating their provisions into a more coherent framework. The Water Framework Directive – an EU water policy framework [...]... those Directives are at the core of the environmental objectives of the Water Framework Directive (Art 4.3, 6 and 7) A so-called combined approach brings together the legislation regulating the act of polluting the environment, with the environmental quality status for all water sources (Art 10) A number of newer pieces of legislation also refer explicitly to the Water Framework Directive and its provisions,... fish along the river, notably the sturgeon The Danube is facing increasing problems with flooding, water scarcity and droughts too 14 Implementing the Water Framework Directive – an ongoing process The Directive is implemented through six-year recurring cycles, the first of which covers the period 2009-2015 After the Directive came 200 into force, Member States had to define their river basin districts... themes /water/ interactive/advanced-wise-viewer The Water Information System for Europe (WISE) is a gateway to information on European water issues It brings together data and information collected at EU level by various institutions and bodies, including results from quality monitoring for river basin management planning In this online map of Europe’s waters it is possible to see information on how Member States are implementing the. .. Commission Decisions, adopted in 2005 and 2008, also provided further details on how to establish ecological status, identified sites and published the results of the intercalibration exercise Eutrophication in the Stockholm archipelago 21 Other measures in the context of integrated river basin management The WFD also provides a framework for integrating a number of other thematic pieces of water legislation... plans for bathing sites, and keep the public informed  The Drinking Water Directive (1998) sets standards for clean water from the tap, and for use in food production Member States have to report on water quality every three years The WFD complements it by protecting supplies at source 22 The programme also includes relevant measures taken to protect water, for instance under the Birds Directive, the. .. in the river basin management plans The Commission will assess the justifications provided by Member States for applying these exemptions, to verify if they are acceptable A legal framework integrating relevant EU measures in the field of water legislation Complementing the legal framework The W Water Framework Directive has been complemented by measures contained in a series of subsequent laws – the. .. provisions, such as the Strategic Environmental Assessment Directive (recitals, 2001/42/EC), the Environmental Liability Directive (2004/35/EC) and the Mining Waste Directive (2006/21/EC) Coordination is required between the Water Framework Directive, implementation of the Floods Directive (2007/60/EC), and the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (2008/56/EC) 23 Im Implementation support Water information In... forum for exchange of experiences and information across the Union It has already produced more than 24 guidance documents and several technical reports, helping to promote the exchange of good practice More information about the Water Framework Directive and other EU water- related legislation and policies can be found on DG Environment’s water pages: http:/ /water. europa.eu/policy To support the CIS,... ‘daughter directives’ – laying down further details on how to achieve good chemical status:  The Groundwater Directive: the WFD set out clear objectives for groundwater quantity and repealed the old groundwater Directive, but left some issues of chemical status criteria to be defined The new Directive, adopted in December 2006, establishes criteria for good chemical status of groundwaters, clarifies the identification... Recreational waters are part of the protected areas of relevance for the Water Framework Directive Framework Directive provides for a procedure whereby the right balance can be found between different environmental and societal need, for instance for the production of renewable energy through hydropower and the building of flood defence infrastructure All relevant information in relation to the application . 1 Water is for life: How the Water Framework Directive helps safeguard Europe’s resources More information on the European Union is available on the Internet (http://europa.eu). Cataloguing. importance of water 4 What is the European Union’s role? 6 Human pressures on the quality of our waters and impacts on the environment 8 The Water Framework Directive – an EU water policy framework. Without water, no life can survive. The importance of water Ou r water s 5 The Water Framework Directive protect areas used for abstraction of drinking water. Baduen, France 6 What is the European