Papers prepared and Conferences organised by the WFD
Navigation Task Group
When work is being carried
out under the CIS process or when the European Commission consults on a particular
issue which is of importance to the navigation sector, it has often proved
useful for the Task Group to develop a ‘common position’, summarising the views
of the sector. The process of discussing
the issues raised and agreeing a way forward through the Task Group has been
very successful - both in raising awareness of various WFD-related issues
within the sector, and in allowing any differences in views to be identified
and resolved. The sector has thus been
able to prepare and present a single response to the Commission on a number of
key WFD issues.
Amongst the discussion and
position papers prepared in this way by the Task Group are the following:
The case for Europe-wide vs. River Basin-specific sediment EQS. Position paper, February
2011
For some time, the sector
has been following discussions regarding the possible setting of EU-wide
Environmental Quality Standards for sediment. This Navigation Task Group
Position Paper, prepared in February 2011 draws the following conclusions:
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Given the wording of the WFD and EQS Directives, the
Task Group does not believe that there is either a specific requirement for
generic European-wide sediment EQS or a role for the Commission to propose such
standards.
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Important differences between the characteristics and
behaviour of water and sediment lead the Task Group to conclude that great care
is required to identify situations in which sediment EQS are relevant.
-
High levels of natural diversity and variability
between river basins and across Europe, combined with the various difficulties
associated with collecting representative and relevant sediment samples, mean
that it is impossible to set meaningful sediment EQS that can reasonably be
applied at a Europe-wide scale.
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Taking all of the above points into account, it is
clear to the Navigation Task Group that there remain severe doubts – about the
legal basis for setting European-wide sediment EQS, about their scientific
justification, and about their workability in practice.
The Navigation Task Group
does, however, support sediment sampling to be used as appropriate for trend
monitoring, source identification and, in certain cases, the setting of
locally-specific sediment standards at a catchment or river basin level to
supplement water column EQS.
Sediment and suspended
matter under the Water Framework Directive. Discussion Document, March 2010
Following a review of a
number of published and draft documents developed under the CIS process (including
those relating to quality standards for water and for sediment and biota), the
Task Group identified a number of concerns relating to their consistency and
interlinking. The Group therefore made several practical recommendations,
including: the need for the normalisation of concentrations of suspended
particular matter in the water column of fresh water and marine water
respectively, the need to clarify the concept of ‘equivalence of standards’ and
the need for sediment EQS to be dealt with under the subsidiarity
principle. The Group also recommended that sediment monitoring should be
handled by Member States, where appropriate on a River Basin scale.
Overlap between the EU Water
Framework Directive and the EU Marine
Strategy Framework Directive in Coastal Waters. Letter to Water and Marine Directors, March 2010
The Navigation Task Group
together with the Marine Strategy
Navigation Group identified a potentially significant issue with
regard to the area of overlap between the Water Framework Directive and the
Marine Strategy Framework Directive (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) in coastal water bodies, as
defined under the WFD. The Navigation Groups therefore requested Water
Directors and Marine Directors to help avoid potentially significant adverse
economic and commercial consequences by taking steps to avoid unnecessary
duplication in this area of physical overlap between the two Directives.
Potential implications of climate change for inland and maritime
navigation and for seaports. Briefing note, June 2009
In order to assist the CIS
drafting group preparing the Guidance document N°24 River Basin Management in a Changing Climate, the Task Group
prepared and endorsed a short briefing paper on climate change. This paper
summarised some of the potential implications of climate change for inland and
maritime navigation and for seaports and highlighted some potentially suitable
(although not universally applicable) climate change adaptation measures.
Navigation as a water
use or a water service? Position Paper, November 2008
In this position paper, the
Task Group supports the interpretation of the majority of EU Member States in
arguing that navigation should be considered a water use, but not a
water service insofar as the requirements of Article 9 of the WFD are
concerned.
Relationship between the EU
Water Framework Directive and EU
Maritime Policy. Position Paper, June 2007
Since the preparation of
this position paper, European Parliament and Council agreed on the final text
of the EU Marine Strategy
Framework Directive. In this
2008 agreed text, many of the Task Group’s concerns about the overlap between
the Water Framework Directive and the Marine Strategy Framework Directive
(MSFD) were addressed. The MSFD will now apply in WFD coastal water bodies only
in respect of cetaceans, litter, noise and other aspects not already covered by
the WFD. However, the practical issues for sectors such as navigation which
operate across the interface between the two Directives remain (i.e. the need
to deal with two different objectives with associated sets of measures
contained in two different plans).
EU Water Framework
Directive Common Implementation Strategy, Hydromorphology Activity. Statement prepared by PIANC, CEDA, ESPO, EFIP, INE, EuDA, IADC, EURMIG and EBU, October 2005
This statement was prepared
in order to inform the initial debate about the scope of work to be tackled by
the CIS Hydromorphology activity. In summary, the Task Group statement
confirmed that hydromorphology is a vital issue for navigation
and advocated that: other relevant Directorates (e.g. DG Transport) should be
involved in the activity; the work of international conventions should be
acknowledged; sediment management should be included in the scope of work; and
maximum use should be made of the wealth of already existing experience.
The final outputs of the
CIS Hydro-morphology – a policy paper,
a technical paper
and a series of case studies
– are all available on the Commission’s WFD CIRCA website.
Potential implications for
navigation (including ports, harbours, waterways and dredging) of EU Water
Framework Directive Articles 16(1) and 16(7).
Discussion document, prepared in November 2004.
This paper discussed the
various concerns of the Task Group associations with regard to the then
evolving priority substances daughter Directive. The final text of this ‘environmental quality
standards’ Directive was eventually adopted in October 2008 with subsequent
publication anticipated in the Official Journal. The agreed ‘compromise text’ of the EQS
Directive included a clear reference to the exemption provisions in Article 4
of the original WFD, and this provides some level of reassurance to the sector. However, the Task Group still has a number of
concerns about the Directive - not least the lack of a definition of ‘losses’
(discharges, emissions and losses’) and various questions about the scientific
validity of the ‘total water quality’ measurement. See the Task Group minutes accessible from
the bottom of the Introductory page for more
information on the status of the daughter Directive and the Group’s outstanding
concerns.
The EU Water
Framework Directive. Position paper, 2004
This position paper, the
first prepared by the Task Group highlighted some of the key issues as
perceived by the newly-formed Navigation Task Group. Several years later, some of the questions
have been resolved whilst others still require attention.
Joint Statement on Guiding
Principles for the Development of Inland Navigation and Environmental
Protection in the
On behalf of the WFD
Navigation Task Group, PIANC participated in the preparation of the Joint
Statement on Guiding Principles for the Development of Inland Navigation and
Environmental Protection in the Danube River Basin. This joint statement was
the outcome of an interdisciplinary process facilitated by the International
Commission for the Protection of the Danube, the Danube (Navigation) Commission
and the International Commission for the
More recently, the
International Commission for the Protection of the Danube River (ICPDR) has
co-ordinated the production of a Manual of Good Practices in Sustainable Waterway Planning.
This document, which is the result of a consultative process between waterway
operators and managers, and environmental organisations, provides guidelines
for planning waterway development projects that are compatible with
environmental protection requirements, creating a win-win harmony.
Conferences &
Workshops organised by WFD Navigation Task Group
The WFD Navigation Task
Group has also organised a number of international conferences and workshops,
aimed at raising awareness of the WFD and facilitating informed discussion of
some of the key challenges it poses for the navigation sector. The
presentations, papers and conclusions are available by clicking on the relevant
event below:
HMWB designation of navigable water bodies: Article
4(3): Workshop and discussion group presentations (22 June
2007)
·
International workshop designed to explore the
approaches being taken by different Member States to
the application of the WFD Article 4(3) ‘tests’
used to identify heavily modified
water bodies. June 2007. Workshop
outcomes: please click here.
Navigation and the EU Water Framework Directive: international conference hosted by PIANC in
As part of this conference,
a series of mini-workshops were also organised on sediment management, maritime policy and hydro-morphology.
Navigating the EU Water Framework Directive: international conference hosted by PIANC in
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