EU-WFD
Task Group
What is the EU Water Framework
Directive?
The EU Water Framework
Directive 2000 (WFD) is arguably the most important, far-reaching, water
legislation ever to emerge from the EU.
It was transposed into law in EU Member States at the end of 2003. A primary purpose of the Directive is to
update and consolidate existing piecemeal EU water legislation: it establishes
a new, integrated (ecosystem-based) approach to water protection, improvement
and sustainable use. Some of the main
aspects of the Water Framework Directive are summarized below, but more
information can be found on the European
Commission’s website.
Scope of the WFD
The WFD applies to all water bodies, including rivers,
estuaries, coastal waters, and man-made water bodies (eg.
canals, docks). These water bodies are
managed via a series of national or
international ‘river basin districts’.
WFD objectives
In addition to more
familiar chemical water quality targets, new ecological objectives
will be set for each water body. A key
aim of the WFD is for all water bodies to achieve ‘good ecological
and chemical status’ by 2015. For water bodies designated as heavily
modified (HMWB) or artificial (AWB), the respective targets will be good ecological
potential and good chemical status.
Good ecological potential is a different ecological objective which takes
into account that physical modifications are necessary to sustain specified
human uses such as navigation. Another
important part of the WFD is an extensive
programme of monitoring of surface and groundwater bodies. The
results of this monitoring will be used to assess achievement of the WFD
objectives.
WFD programme
The WFD has a strict timetable.
Following several years of preparatory work, draft versions of the WFD river
basin management plans will be published at the end of 2008 for six months
public consultation. These new,
statutory plans will set out the ‘programmes of
measures’ which are required to achieve good ecological and chemical
status in water bodies ‘at risk’ of failing to meet these targets. The measures required to achieve good status
(or potential) must be in place by 2012 with the intention of achieving the
objectives by 2015. However, progress with WFD implementation is to be reviewed
on a six-yearly basis and there are two further WFD planning cycles – up to
2021 and 2027.
Exemptions
Articles 4(4) and 4(5) of
the Directive make provision for exemptions
in the form of extended deadlines or the setting of less stringent objectives.
Thus, assuming that the strict criteria for applying the exemptions are met,
some measures may not need to be taken until after 2012. This provision may be particularly important
where there are high levels of uncertainty – for example regarding the cause of
a problem or the likely success of a particular measure in delivering the
necessary improvement.
Economic considerations
It is also important to be
aware that economic considerations play an important role in WFD decision
making and any ‘measures’ or
actions required to achieve the WFD targets must be shown to be
cost-effective and not disproportionately costly.
Priority substances daughter Directive
The priority substances
‘daughter Directive’ to the WFD was adopted by the Environment Council in
October 2008. This Directive delivers
the requirements of Article 16 of the WFD with regard to the need for measures
to progressively reduce discharges, emissions and losses of priority substances
and to cease or phase out discharges, emissions and losses of priority hazardous
substances. Environmental
quality standards (EQS) will be developed to determine the chemical
status of surface waters.
Implications for navigation
Both the WFD and the
daughter Directive will potentially have significant implications for
navigation, both for ongoing port activities such as dredging and disposal, and
for new development proposals. A paper
presented to PIANC’s 31st congress in 2006, which provides an
overview of the WFD and its possible implications can be found here.
A number of other papers dealing with different aspects of the WFD and the
daughter Directive were presented to the 2007 international conference entitled
Navigation and the Water Framework Directive.
In particular, a paper which discusses the potential implications of the
WFD for new navigation-related physical modifications can be found here.
Finally, some ideas to help
those who need to assess and respond to the draft River Basin Management Plans
can be found here.
What is the WFD Navigation Task Group?
Since 2003, PIANC has
chaired and hosted the Water Framework Directive Navigation Task Group. Originally a meeting of five associations, it
now comprises a ‘thematic cluster’ of 14 organisations. In addition to PIANC, the following
organizations participate in the Group’s activities, between them representing
a wide variety of commercial and recreational, maritime and inland navigation
interests:
-
Central Dredging Association (CEDA)
-
European Boating Association (EBA)
-
European Community Shipowners’
Associations (ECSA)
-
European
Dredging Association (EuDA)
-
European Federation
of Inland Ports (EFIP)
-
European Sea Ports Organisation
(ESPO)
-
EU Recreational Marine Industries Group (EURMIG)
-
Inland
Navigation Europe (INE)
The
Central Commission for Navigation on the Rhine, the
Danube
Commission and the International Sava
River Basin Commission are also invited to participate in Task Group activities
as observers.
Aims and objectives
The Task Group aims to:
-
raise awareness of the WFD and its implications for
ports, harbours, commercial and leisure navigation, and dredging,
-
develop an understanding, through exchange of
knowledge and experience, of the implementation process in different EC Member
States, and
-
through participation in CIS activities and the
provision of relevant information, to try to ensure that the Directive is
implemented in a consistent manner (ie. that a level
playing field is achieved) insofar as navigation interests are concerned.
In pursuit of these
objectives, the Task Group participates in several CIS activities, has prepared a number of
Position
Papers and Discussion Documents and has organised various conferences
and workshops. The Minutes of the latest Task Group meeting can
be found by clicking here.
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