EU environmental directives and their implications for maintenance dredging

摘要

Many EU environmental directives can affect the way in which maintenance dredging is carried out. Environmental issues can - and often do - influence the programming of dredging activities, the methods used, and the disposal options available.rnTwenty years ago, environmental protection and maintenance dredging were rarelyrnmentioned in the same breath. Whilst 1979 saw the Council Directive 79/409/EEC on the conservation of wild birds (the 'Birds Directive'), the full implications of this Directive for maintenance dredging only really started to become apparent in the mid 1990s. Since the Birds Directive, however, many other EU environmental directives have entered into force, each of which may impact on maintenance dredging decision-making to a greater or lesser extent.rnThis paper focuses on the practical and anticipated implications of three, linked, EU environmental directives: the Habitats Directive, the Water Framework Directive, and the Environmental Liability Directive.