SUSTAINABLE WATER MANAGEMENT IN EUROPE - THE WATER FRAMEWORK DIRECTIVE

摘要

Directive 2000/60/EC of the European Parliament and the Council of 23 October 2000 establishing a framework for Community action in the field of water policy (Water Framework Directive (WFD)) entered into force on 22 December 2000. The Directive as one of the most substantial pieces of EU water legislation combines the until then rather fragmented EU water law (large number of directives dealing only with special aspects of water management like waste water, dangerous substances, drinking water etc.) in order to ensure sustainable water management. EU Member States have to define river basin districts as the main units for all management actions. For example the Rhine or the Danube with all their tributaries, associated groundwaters and coastal waters are two of the biggest international river basin districts in Europe. The river basin approach requires transboundary water management and therefore a lot of cooperation and consultation among the EU Member States. Although there have been several bilateral agreements and international river basin commissions in Europe until now water management happened mainly on national level. To fulfill the WFD requirements cooperation has to be intensified and new structures have to be established in the future. The WFD aims at achieving good status of all water bodies (good ecological and chemical status of surface water bodies, good chemical and quantitative status of groundwater bodies) in a river basin district until December 2015 (with possible prolongations until December 2027). Good status is defined by ecological, chemical and quantitative criteria, which are described in detail in the annexes of the WFD. Ecological criteria, which the WFD considers as the most important to assess the status of surface water bodies, are a new element in EU water management. The diversity and abundance of the fauna and flora in a water body have to be examined and monitored. The EU Member States are obliged to define water body types and type specific biological reference conditions. Economic aspects are also relevant in the WFD. The Directive requires the recovery of costs for water services including environmental and resource costs. EU Member States shall ensure by 2010 that water-pricing policies provide adequate incentives for efficient water use and that industry, households and agriculture contribute adequately to the costs of water services.