Recent and on-going EU policy developments and implementation issues in the field of water management

Nicola Notaro (Ph.D)Deputy Head Water Unit C1DG Environment

The Blueprint package• Blueprint Communication COM(2012)673+ Impact Assessment SWD(2012)

381 & 382

• Report on River Basin Management Plans COM(2012)670

• Commission Staff Working Document, European Overview on River Basin Management Plans, Volumes 1 and 2 SWD(2012) 379

• Commission Staff Working Document, River Basin Management Plans, Volumes 3 to 30 (All Member States + Norway) SWD(2012) 379

• Communication on the Review of the European Water Scarcity and Drought Policy COM(2012)672 + accompanying Commission Staff Working Document SWD(2012)380

• Fitness Check SWD (2012)393

Status of adoption of WFD plans

GREEN - River Basin Management Plans adopted!

RED – consultations not started, ongoing or finalised but not ALL plans adopted or reported to EC

http://water.europa.eu/participation

4

Assessment River Basin Management Plans:Some general findings

• A lot of effort put into preparation of the plans and impressive knowledge improvement

• High uptake of the common framework and common language on water management provided by the WFD

• Integration of ecological perspective into water management

• Enhancement of international cooperation

• Public participation, stakeholder involvement

• 4 Member States yet to submit all plans

• Low ambition in many of the plans.

• Uncompleted setting of measures

• Lack of comparability in some areas (e.g. chemical status!)

• Little understanding of aligning water management practices and environment protection (e.g. definition of exemptions)

• Insufficient consideration of water pricing and definition of costs

Status of surface waters

A lot has been achieved, but challenges remain

Significant pressures (rivers) Significant impacts (rivers)

Source: EEASource: EEA

Water bodies in good status in 2009 and 2015: What progress expected?

  Nb of MS Nb of water bodies

% Water bodies in good status or potential 2009

% Water bodies in good status or potential 2015

Progress 2009-2015 in %

Ecological status of surface waters

21 82684 43 53 10

Chemical status of surface waters

Information unclear to establish the 2009 baseline

 

Quantitative status of groundwater

24 12022 (5197) 89 (85) 96 (92) 7 (7)

Chemical status of groundwater13

2477 12022 (5197) 83 (68) 89 (77) 6 (9)

Blueprint impact assessment 12 priority problems

1. Lack of water pricing2. Lack of metering3. Lack of labeling of

traded goods4. Land use/Agricultural

impacts 5. Inefficiency in

buildings/appliances

6. Inefficient water infrastructure (leakage)

7. Lack of water re-use8. Governance9. Target setting10.Drought management11.Understanding costs

and benefits12.Knowledge base

Blueprint objectives Voluntary Regulation Conditionality Funding

Efficient incentive water pricing

CIS Guidance on trading schemes by 2014

Enforcement of Art. 9 WFD (ongoing)

Ex-ante conditions under RD&C policy funds 2014

Metering take up Enforcement of Art. 9 WFD (ongoing)

Water use reduction in agriculture

Precondition for some irrigation projects under RD as of 2014

Reduction of illegal abstraction/impoundments

Apply GMES as of 2013

Possible EU initiative on inspections - 2013

Cross-compliance under CAP

Awareness of water consumption

Support voluntary labeling & certific. schemes

Maximisation of the use of NWRM (Green Infr.)

CIS Guidance by 2014

Greening of CAP pillar I as of 2014

S&C Funds & EIB loans

Efficient water appliances in buildings

EU Ecolabel & GPP criteria 2013

Eco-design Working Plan in 2012

Reduction of leakages Best practice/tools on SELL in 2013

S&C Funds & EIB loans

Maximisation of water reuse

Possible Regulation in 2015

S&C Funds & EIB loans

Improvement of governance

Peer review of RBMPs (2013 – 2016)

Blueprint objectives Voluntary Regulation Conditionality Funding

Implementation of water accounts, e-flows & target setting

CIS Guidance on WAs / E-flows & Target setting by 2014

Reduction of flood risk Through Green Infr. European Flood Awareness System

Flood Risk Management Plans by 2015

Reduction of drought risk

Through Green Infr. European Flood EDO in 2013-2014

Enforcement of WFD requirements (ongoing)

Better calculation of costs and benefits

CIS Guidance by 2014

Better knowledge base Upgrading WISE by 2015

Support to developing countries

Tackling pollution Report on pharmaceuticals & the environment 2013

Targeted enforcement of WFD, EQS/PSD, NID, UWWTD, IED …

Cross-cutting EIPs on Water and Agri as of 2013

Overall enforcement of WFD, EQS/PSD, NID, UWWTD, IED

Possible European Semester Recomm. 2013

CAP, S&C Funds & EIB loans

Follow up

• Ensuring correct implementation of WFD in first and second RBMP period (Follow up RBMP assessment)• Council Conclusions 17.12.2012• Follow up bilaterally (COM+MS, 11 meetings to date)• Possible enforcement action• Common Implementation Strategy (CIS work program

2013-2015 incorporated Blueprint policy options)• Possible new legislative initiatives

• Assessment of PoM and integration of EU Water Directives• 2019 review WFD

The Groundwater Directive

13

Risks of pollution from diffuse/point sources (urban, agriculture, industrial)

EU-wide Quality standards:Nitrates & pesticides (more stringentTVs are required if associated surface waters or directly dependent terrestrialecosystems need them)

TV establishment at most appropriate level (local, regional, national), with account of impacts on aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems, human toxicology and ecotoxicology knowledge

Drinking waterabstraction

Run-off

Good chemical status criteria(Article 3 & Annexes I and II)

Threshold valuesfor “risk” substancesset by MS (end 2008) – Indicative list of pollutants provided – Transboundary coordination required – Possible amendment at RBMP review

=WFD environmental objective(besides quantitative status covered by WFD)

• Review of GWD Annexes I and II in 2013 and if appropriate, legislative proposals taking account of monitoring data and research outputs

• GWD implementation group with MS and stakeholders: https://circabc.europa.eu/w/browse/b1a3fb16-0308-479a-8b6d-0c056b6890e4

• 9 October Conference in Brussels

14

The Environmental Quality Standards Directive

An updated list of priority substances

• 12 new priority substances (very persistent and bio-accumulative, highly toxic, or suspected of being endocrine disruptors)

• To be monitored regularly in all Member States• No later than 2021, action to reduce or eliminate

emissions and bring concentrations down to safe levels by 2027

A watch list

• A new monitoring mechanism – the 'Watch List' - to improve the evidence base for identifying priority substances in the future

• Three pharmaceutical substances included on the first watch list

• Provisions to improve the information presented to the public on the chemical status of water

• A strategic approach to pharmaceuticals 

The Floods Directive

Three stage approach• Preliminary flood risk assessment

(maps, experience from past floods, predictions of future floods, identification areas of potential significant flood risk)

• Flood mapping (= knowing areas at risk of flooding, different scenarios, flood hazard maps & flood risk maps),

• Flood Risk Management Plans (= plans to reduce flood risks, covering all elements of the flood risk management cycle)

26.11.2009 (Transposition)26.05.2010 (CA/Unit of management)

22.12.2011 2018

22.12.2013 * 2019

22.12.2015 ** 2021

Review /update every 6 years thereafterReporting to the Commission : 3 months after * = date of 1st review of pressure and impact analysis under the WFD** = date of 1st review of WFD river basin management plans

Urban Waste Water TreatmentUrban Waste Water Treatment

Urban Waste Water Treatment•Collection rates:15 MS collecting 100 % of total polluting load. All MS maintained or improved previous results, compliance rates below 30 % in Bulgaria, Cyprus, Estonia, Latvia and Slovenia

•Secondary treatment 82 %, up 4 points. In EU-15, range 90-100 %, EU-12, average 39 %

•Compliance rates for more stringent treatment 77 % overall but EU-12 only 14 %, whereas Austria, Germany, Greece, and Finland reached 100 %

•EU territory designated as a sensitive area increased by 2 points to 75 %

•UWWTD as a pilot for the Structured Information and Implementation Framework (SIIF)

Drinking Water DirectiveDrinking Water Directive

Review of Annexes II and III (monitoring and analysis)

• Article 11.2 requires an update to respond to technical and scientific progress

• Improving efficiency, effectiveness, comparability• Minimum requirements for monitoring to improve

public access to information• Coherence with water legislation• Discussion at DW Commiteee in November

Thank you for your attention !

All docs available at

http://ec.europa.eu/environment/water