Annexes to COM(2015)120 - Water Framework Directive and the Floods Directive: Actions towards the 'good status' of EU water and to reduce flood risks - Main contents
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| dossier | COM(2015)120 - Water Framework Directive and the Floods Directive: Actions towards the 'good status' of EU water and to reduce flood risks. |
|---|---|
| document | COM(2015)120  |
| date | March 9, 2015 |
Similarly, Member States should use the innovations developed under the European innovation partnerships on water and on agricultural productivity and sustainability, and connect them to the challenges of implementing the WFD.
Finally, Member States could also seize the opportunities offered by the Commission proposed EU Investment Plan[43], particularly to support the development of water infrastructure.
[1] Directive 2000/60/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 23 October 2000 establishing a framework for Community action in the field of water policy, OJ L 327, 22.12.2000.
[2] See http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:52012DC0670.
[3] Under the no-adaptation scenario (i.e. assuming continuation of the current protection against river floods up to a current 100-year event), EU damages from the combined effect of climate and socio-economic changes are projected to rise from EUR 6.9 billion/year to EUR 20.4 billion/year by the 2020s, EUR 45.9 billion/year by the 2050s, and EUR 97.9 billion/year by the 2080s. See Rojas et al. (2013) Climate change and river floods in the European Union: Socio-economic consequences and the costs and benefits of adaptation, Global Environmental Change 23, 1737–1751 available at http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0959378013001416#.
[4] Directive 2007/60/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 23 October 2007 on the assessment and management of flood risks, OJ L 288, 6/11/2007.
[5] See http://ec.europa.eu/environment/water/water-framework/impl_reports.htm#third.
[6] Report on the progress in implementation of the Water Framework Directive Programmes of Measures; Report on the progress in implementation of the Floods Directive.
[7] Reports on the implementation of the Water Framework Directive River Basin Management Plans.
[8] Directive 2006/118/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 12 December 2006 on the protection of groundwater against pollution and deterioration, OJ L 372, 27/12/2006; Directive 2008/105/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council on environmental quality standards in the field of water policy, OJ L 348, 24/12/2008; Council Directive 91/676/EEC of 12 December 1991 concerning the protection of waters against pollution caused by nitrates from agricultural sources, OJ L 375, 31/12/1991; Council Directive 91/271/EEC of 21 May 1991 concerning urban waste-water treatment, OJ L 135, 30/05/1991; Directive 2010/75/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 24 November 2010 on industrial emissions (integrated pollution prevention and control), OJ L 334, 17/12/2010; Council Directive 98/83/EC of 3 November 1998 on the quality of water intended for human consumption, OJ L 330, 5/12/1998; Directive 2006/7/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 15 February 2006 concerning the management of bathing water quality, OJ L 64, 4/3/2006; Directive 2008/56/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 17 June 2008 establishing a framework for community action in the field of marine environmental policy (Marine Strategy Framework Directive), OJ L 164, 25/6/2008; Directive 2009/128/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 21 October 2009 establishing a framework for Community action to achieve the sustainable use of pesticides, OJ L 309, 24/11/2009.
[9] SWD(2012) 393 final.
[10] COM(2012) 673 final.
[11] Given the different situations across European river basins, the EU average (about 90 % of water bodies are expected to reach good groundwater quantitative status and 77 % good groundwater chemical status in 2015) hides significant regional problems. Moreover, the figures should be interpreted cautiously due to the major gaps and weaknesses in the groundwater status assessment methods used by some Member States.
[12] COM(2014) 177 final.
[13] The common implementation strategy (CIS) is a cooperative and open process involving the Commission, Member States and stakeholders. It started in 2001 and aims to facilitate WFD implementation.
[14] The annex to the Report on the progress in implementation of the Water Framework Directive Programmes of Measures includes specific recommendations for actions to be carried out by Member States. These reflect the Commission’s assessment and the results of the bilateral process.
[15] These include the enforcement of deadlines for adopting the RBMPs, monitoring and assessment, diffuse pollution from agriculture, infrastructure that is not WFD-compliant, etc. coordinated with the enforcement of the Nitrates and Urban Waste Water Treatment Directives.
[16] COM(2012) 216 final.
[17] ‘Potential for stimulating sustainable growth in the water industry sector in the EU and the marine sector — input to the European Semester’, Water Industry Final REPORT, Acteon — to be published.
[18] http://ec.europa.eu/environment/water/innovationpartnership/about_en.htm.
[19] COM/2013/0683final.
[20] A water body affected by a significant pressure is at risk of not achieving ‘good status’ with current measures.
[21]http://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/index.php/Agri-environmental_indicator_-_mineral_fertiliser_consumption.
[22] Member States who joined the EU before 1 May 2004. The EU-13 joined after that date.
[23] Both stormwater and combined (sewage + stormwater) sewer overflows.
[24] Measures to upgrade or improve industrial wastewater treatment plants are reported as key types of measures in only 29 river basin districts in eight Member States.
[25] These are either river basin specific pollutants of surface waters or groundwater pollutants for which Member States establish threshold values.
[26] E.g. flow magnitude, frequency, duration, timing and the rate of change of flood events.
[27] See CIS guidance document on ecological flows (eflows) in the implementation of the WFD, available at https://circabc.europa.eu/w/browse/a3c92123-1013-47ff-b832-16e1caaafc9a.
[28] A CIS guidance document on water balances is expected in spring 2015.
[29] See study on Applying Earth observation to support the detection of non-authorised water abstractions, available at https://circabc.europa.eu/w/browse/fe1bf504-5dc4-4e12-a466-37c3a8c3eab4.
[30] See CIS resource document on ‘Links between the Floods Directive (FD 2007/60/EC) and Water Framework Directive (WFD 2000/60/EC)’ available at https://circabc.europa.eu/w/browse/b91b99c7-835f-48fe-b0f5-57740b973d4c.
[31] See CIS policy document on NWRMs at https://circabc.europa.eu/w/browse/2457165b-3f12-4935-819a-c40324d22ad3.
[32] Roughly 9 out of 10 of the more than 8.000 areas of potential significant flood risks reported by Member States are associated with fluvial flooding and most report primarily potential negative economic consequences.
[33] As of February 2015, 3 Member States have not reported flood hazard and risk maps.
[34] The area of risk management is a new eligible area within the 2014-20 cohesion policy, so projects dealing with preventing and managing weather-related risks and natural disasters can be co-financed.
[35] See the Court of Auditors’ Special Report 04/2014, "Integration of EU water policy objectives with the CAP: partial success", http://www.eca.europa.eu/Lists/ECADocuments/SR14_04/SR14_04_EN.pdf.
[36] For instance non-productive investments ex Article 41 of the Rural Development Regulation (1698/2005) used to improve the condition of water courses’ banks (e.g. Flanders) and to restore wetlands (e.g. Denmark).
[37] Council Regulation (EC) No 1698/2005 of 20 September 2005 on support for rural development by the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD), OJ L 277, 21.10.2005.
[38] For the programming period 2007-2013, water related measures under Article 38 of the Rural Development Regulation 1698/2005, were activated in 2010, when the PoMs under the WFD became available. As regards measures under Article 30 of the Rural Development Regulation 1305/2013, the Rural Development Programmes for the period 2014-2020 are for the large majority not yet approved and it remains to be seen whether water measures will be included.
[39] Regulation (EU) No 1303/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 17 December 2013 laying down common provisions on the European Regional Development Fund, the European Social Fund, the Cohesion Fund, the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development and the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund and laying down general provisions on the European Regional Development Fund, the European Social Fund, the Cohesion Fund and the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund and repealing Council Regulation (EC) No 1083/2006.
[40] Ruling of 11 September 2014, case C-525/12 Commission v. Germany.
[41] See the Good Practice Document on Leakage at https://circabc.europa.eu/w/browse/bb786001-ed42-416d-836e-4835481ba508.
[42] The development of disaster loss data recording guidelines in EU Member States is important for the measurement of success: http://drr.jrc.ec.europa.eu/LossDataWorkshopOctober2014.
[43] http://ec.europa.eu/priorities/jobs-growth-investment/plan/index_en.htm.