THE EUROPEAN FRAMEWORK DIRECTIVE

1. THE EUROPEAN FRAMEWORK DIRECTIVE Paper of Mr. Jean-François DONZIER General Manager International Office for Water Permanent Technical Secretary International Network of Basin Organizations - INBO -

2. The European Framework Directive: the future of water resource management

3. Background of the community water policy • Existing since 1975 • About thirty objectives • Directive on uses: drinking water, bathing water, oyster and fish farming waters, etc. • Directives on discharges: dangerous substances, UWW, Nitrates, PRIP

4. 1995: A reform was needed • Lack of harmonization • Necessity of an overall approach • 1997: A proposal from the European Commission related to integrated management at the river basin level

5. A new European water policy • 1997 :Proposal for a Framework Directive to achieve the main objectives of a sustainable water policy: • securing drinking water supply • securing the supply of water for other economic activities • protecting the environment • reducing the consequences of floods and drought • 2000 : Adoption of the Framework Directive

6. Main community texts in the water field Framework Directive 98/83/EC and 80/68/EEC « drinking water »  79/869/EEC  « oyster farming waters » * 78/659/EC « fish farming waters » * 76/160/EEC « bathing waters » 75/440/EEC « waters intended for human consumption » Directives derived from 76/464/EEC 80/68/EEC « groundwater » * 76/464/EEC « dangerous substances » * 96/61/EEC «  IPPC » 91/676/EEC « nitrates » 91/271/EEC « UWW » Quality of the environment Discharges Integrated management of water quality * Directives to be incorporated in the framework directive

7. The future Directive 2000/60/EC of 23 October 2000 of the European Parliament and of the Council establishing a framework for the Community action in the field of water policy Official Journal of the European Communities L327, 2000.12.22, p.1.

8. ”WATER IS NOT A COMMERCIAL PRODUCT LIKE ANY OTHER, BUT, RATHER, A HERITAGE WHICH MUST BE PROTECTED, DEFENDED AND TREATED AS SUCH"

9. SIMPLE AND VERY AMBITIOUS CHALLENGES • PREVENTING THE DETERIORATION OF WATER RESOURCES. • REDUCING THE EMISSIONS OF SUBSTANCES; • ACHIEVING ”GOOD STATUS" FOR WATER AND THE AQUATIC ENVIRONMENTS.

10. VARIOUS KEY PRINCIPLES: • THE NEED FOR INTEGRATED WATER POLICY; • THE PRINCIPLES OF PRECAUTION AND PREVENTIVE ACTION, AS WELL AS THE PRINCIPLE OF PRIORITY CORRECTIVE MEASURES AT THE SOURCE OF THE THREATS TO THE ENVIRONMENT, • THE “POLLUTER-PAYS” PRINCIPLE AND THE PRINCIPLE OF THE RECOVERY OF COSTS OF SERVICES LINKED TO WATER USE “INCLUDING ENVIRONMENTAL AND RESOURCE COSTS”; • DECISION MAKING “AT A LEVEL AS CLOSE AS POSSIBLE TO THE SITES OF WATER USE AND DEGRADATION”; • A RIVER BASIN APPROACH; • A “COMBINED APPROACH AIMING AT REDUCING POLLUTION AT THE SOURCE BY SETTING EMISSION LIMIT VALUES AND ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY STANDARDS”; • INVOLVEMENT OF THE PUBLIC AS A CONDITION FOR SUCCESS.

11. THE FRAMEWORK DIRECTIVE PLANS FOR: • THE DELIMITATION OF RIVER BASIN DISTRICTS ON THE SCALE OF LARGE RIVER BASINS. • FOR EACH DISTRICT, ”MANAGEMENT PLANS", DEFINING THE OBJECTIVES TO ACHIEVE, AND "PROGRAMS OF MEASURES", DEFINING THE NECESSARY ACTIONS, MUST BE FORMULATED.

12. Main river basins in Europe

14. THE BASIN COMMITTEES, IN WHICH ARE REPRESENTED THE LOCAL AUTHORITIES, THE USERS, THE ASSOCIATIONS AND THE GOVERNMENTAL ADMINISTRATIONS, ARE CONFIRMED IN THEIR ROLE. BY ENTRUSTING THEM WITH THE INFORMATION AND CONSULTATION OF THE PUBLIC, THE DIRECTIVE WILL CONTRIBUTE TO A BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF THEIR ACTION BY THE CITIZENS.

15. What is the objective of the Directive? Achieving “good status” for surface and ground waters before 2015

16. 1 Very good good sufficient insufficient bad Observed value EQR = 0 Assessment of the ecological status status Reference value elements of biological quality deviations

17. Objective to achieve:good water status deadline: 15 years THE DIRECTIVE CONCERNS ALL THE ENVIRONMENTS: • Surface waters • good ecological and chemical status • Groundwater • good chemical and quantitative status • Heavily modified water masses • good chemical status and good ecological potential THE DIRECTIVE GIVES THE NATURAL ENVIRONMENTS THEIR PLACE IN THE EUROPEAN WATER POLICY

18. What are the kinds of water taken into consideration? * surface waters* groundwater * transitional waters * coastal waters

19. TRANSPARENY OF COSTSAND POLLUTER-PAYS PRINCIPLE • DO THE CURRENT PRICES COVER THE COSTS OF THE SERVICE, I.E., THE OPERATING AND RENEWAL COSTS? • DOES THE IMPLEMENTATION OF T HE POLLUTER-PAYS PRINCIPLE ALLOW CHARGING TO THE POLLUTERS COSTS EQUIVALENT TO THE ENVIRONMENTAL DAMAGE THEY CAUSE? • WHAT IS THE SHARING OF THE CHARGES BETWEEN THE DIFFERENT ECONOMIC SECTORS (HOUSEHOLDS, INDUSTRY, FARMING, ETC.)?

20. Million / year Water 2,300 Sanitation 2,100 to 2,300 Needs  2015 Reminder 2001 4,400 to 4,600 4,400 Financing of the water supply and sanitation utilities Evolution of the financing of infrastructures

21. A PARTICIPATORY WORKING METHOD THE PREREQUISITE TO REAL TRANSPARENCY IS THE EFFECTIVE PARTICIPATION OF THE PUBLIC, THROUGH PLANNED CONSULTATIONS DURING THE WHOLE PROCESS.

22. TODAY, THE SYSTEMS FOR ASSESSING WATER QUALITY AND FOR FORMULATING THE OBJECTIVES TO ACHIEVE VARY CONSIDERABLY FROM ONE COUNTRY TO ANOTHER WITHIN THE EUROPEAN UNION. * THE DIRECTIVE REQUIRES: • THE IDENTIFICATION OF ”WATER MASSES", • THE DEFINITION OF COMMON FRAMES OF REFERENCES.

23. The scientific challenges…. How to define ‘good ’ ecological quality? Framework Directive: good status for the waters of the Union before 2015 How to define the ‘sustainable’ functioning of the aquatic ecosystems? How to achieve the environmental objectives and ensure consistent implementation in the Union? ... And how to ensure comparability in the classification of the ecological status and of monitoring in the Union?

24. The Water Framework Directive Timetable : 2003 Transposition and designation of the competent authorities in the river basin districts. 2004 Inventory: characteristics, impacts of human activities and economic analysis. Establishment of a register of protected areas. 2006 Operational program for monitoring water status. National measures for environmental quality standards for priority substances. Beginning of the public consultation regarding the management plan

25. The Water Framework Directive Timetable: 2009 First management plan. Implementation of the programs of measures. 2010 Application of the cost recovery principle. 2012 Beginning of the combined approach (emission limit values and controls). Implementation of the programs of measures. 2015 The environmental objectives of good quality are achieved

26. THE FRAMEWORK DIRECTIVE CONFIRMS THE PRINCIPLES OF INTEGRATED MANAGEMENT AND PLANNING AT THE LEVEL OF RIVER BASINS, AND GIVES A NEW AMBITION FOR WATER POLICY BY DEFINING ECOLOGICAL OBJECTIVES, A WORKING METHOD AND DELAYS TO COMPLY WITH. • THE BASIN COMMITTEES WILL THUS HAVE A STRATEGIC ROLE TO PLAY!

27. INTERNATIONAL NETWORK of BASIN ORGANIZATIONS - INBO - * “ALL TOGETHER FOR INTEGRATED MANAGEMENT OF WATER RESOURCES OVER THE WORLD” = http://www.inbo-news.org

28. The bases of the WFD Management plans - 2009 Inventory- 2004 Definition of the objectives Guidelines for action and priorities Program of measures - 2009 Characterization of the district Identification of the main problems Register of protected areas Updating of the inventory - 2013 implementation Identification of the lacking data Definition of references and ecological status Monitoring Implementation of measures Monitoring program - 2006

29. Objective of the Framework Directive • Achieving good status for surface and ground waters • This means: • improving the quality of waters and ecosystems, • preventing any additional deterioration, • promoting sustainable water use, • progressively reducing the emissions of dangerous substances, • But also • contributing to alleviate the effects of floods and droughts, • protecting marine waters, • achieving the objectives of international agreements.