1. European Environment Agency Copenhagen · Denmark http://www.eea.eu.int

2. EEA water assessments How we use (your) data Pavla Chyská EEA/ETC Water – Eionet Annual Workshop 12.10. 2005

3. EEA water assessments in this presentation: Why - water assessment framework What How Scale What How Scale Now Future

4. Why EEA does water assessments • To monitor the effects and effectiveness of EU water policy and to indicate where policy gaps may be occurring • To better understand water related issues and processes in ecosystems (DPSIR) • To develop outlooks • To assess the economic aspects (pricing) • To define ecosystem services (through accounting)

5. What EEA does in water assessments • SOER 2005 • Thematic reports • Indicators and indicator reports • Outlooks • Water accounts • …..

6. How: Present situation • The same basis of data is used to make assessment from different angles using several methods – eg accounts, outlooks. Strengths and weaknesses are also shown through the different uses (SOER 2005). • Thematic approach, data being collected according to foreseen indicators -> unique usage • Data for water assessments is collected on the basis justified by the limited application foreseen at the time when the dataflow was defined. For example EEA reports are comprised of ca 30 % of Eionet Water data

7. Bringing water assessments further • Assessment and SoE (DPSIR, effectiveness, outlooks, etc.) • Data on issues related but not included in the WFD (eg. Floods, changes in water regime related to uses etc.) • Data centre functions on water • Emerging issues and techniques This requires changes in data flows.

8. How: FutureChanging the scale and depth • Streamlining of tasks between the European institutions gives an opportunity for reassessing the needs and new specifications for dataflows • Spatially integrated approach, data to collect for cross-cutting and fuelling different indicators -> use data in different methodologies • Make the existing data more transparent and policy relevant • Increase the share of Eionet Water data in the assessments to improve their quality and relevance

9. Eionet-Water data used for the five Core set indicators relater to freshwater • 2 indicators based on Eionet-Water data: Nutrients in freshwater, Oxygen consuming substances in rivers • 3 indicators using data from other sources (Eurostat, DG ENV) rather then Eionet- Water: Use of freshwater resources, Bathing water quality, Urban wastewater treatment

10. Water assessments in SOER 2005 • Part A: integrated assessment at the European level (1 chapter on freshwater) • Part B: indicator based assessment combining European and country perspectives (EEA Core Set of Indicators) • Part D: “scorecard” - more in-depth country analysis for water abstraction (Eurostat data)