Environment council meeting in Brussels : 9 Member States on the way towards a non-revision of the WFD

During the last Environment council meeting March the 5th, 4 Member states (AU, DK, FR, and GR) clearly asked for no revision to the directive  and 5 Member states (DE, ES, FI, IT, CY) made supportive statements to the fitness check conclusions & expressed the need for better implementation. This is good news for rivers, and these 9 supportive Member states represent 64,75% of the EU population.

Thank you to these ministers for their commitment. For France, we would particularly like to congratulate the French Minister for the Environment Elisabeth Borne for having positioned herself to maintain the Water Framework Directive in its current form.

More info : the recording of the discussions are still available on the Council’s website.

Ministers Council (Environment) on March 5 in Brussels: ministers are invited to support the water framework directive in its current form

Prior to the exchange of views between Ministers on the evaluation of water legislation at the meeting of the Council (Environment) on 5 March 2020, we would like to call Ministries attention on the importance of the follow-up of this evaluation for securing healthy freshwater resources in Europe. We kindly encourage Ministers to come together with 375000+ citizens, nearly 6000 scientists, and 130+ civil society organisations and take a strong stand in support of maintaining the Water Framework Directive in its current form.

Currently, 60% of our rivers and lakes in Europe are not in good status. The next decade will be crucial for combating climate change and environmental protection as says differents report from IPBES, AEE 1.

The relevance of the Water Framework Directive can no longer be questioned – the fitness check conclusions 2 highlighting the EU Water Framework Directive to be “fit for purpose”, acknowledging that the objectives of the law “are as relevant now as they were at the time of the adoption”. These conclusions are an unparalleled opportunity to speed-up the efforts on water protection, but also challenge climate change, water scarcity and pollutants of emerging concern for whom the report says that the Water Framework Directive flexible enough to accommodate this emerging pressures.

While we are heading towards the deadline for the 3rd River Basin Management Plans, due by the end of 2021, river basin authorities need legal certainty to be able to plan and finance  the measures that will truly help achieve good status in all surface and ground waters, a goal that we all share.

The EU Biodiversity Strategy for 2030, the Farm to Fork Strategy and the Zero Pollution Action Plan offer tremendous opportunities to address hydromorphological, diffuse and point source pollution pressures on European rivers and lakes. The European Green Deal can and should be harnessed to the objective of reaching a good water status in 2027, not hampered by an unresolved debate.

We therefore urge the ministers to affirm their position and their commitment not to modify the Water Framework Directive.

_________________

1 The Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) reported that aquatic ecosystems are among the most degraded in the world. The World Economic Forum’s Global Risks Report 2020 has determined water crisis’s to be one of the top 5 global risks 5 years in a row (2015-2020). And according to a recent publication by the European Environmental Agency (EEA) the key impacts climate change will have on Europe are increased droughts and heavy rainfall and floods.

2 Since October of 2017, the European Commission announced the fitness check of the Water Framework and Floods Directives. 3 years later, after an extensive evaluation and search for evidence, the process has come to a crossroads. The fitness check conclusions stated clearly “The fact that the WFD’s objectives have not been reached fully yet is largely due to insufficient funding, slow implementation and insufficient integration of environmental objectives in sectoral policies, and not due to a deficiency in the legislation.” Moreover a recent analysis on the WFD conducted by the Leibniz Institute of Freshwater Ecology reaches the same conclusions as to the fitness check: “Reasons for the poor performance are not down to the Water Framework Directive itself. In fact, this is a technically sound and expedient policy document.”

More info  

Wild Rivers go’s Alps

The Wild Rivers project and its label  will be implemented in the alpine countries and then in the Balkans.

European Rivers Network  has established a partnership with WWF for the alpine region and with EURONATUR for the Balkan region.

Starting in April 2020 * is  you can apply for the label and download all documents for the alpine countries, later on for the Balkan region.

More information > https://www.ern.org/en/wild-rivers/ 

 

* postponed to 2021 due to  Covid 19 epidemie  

Christmas comes early for rivers and nature: European Commission concludes EU water law is “fit for purpose”

Yesterday, 11 of Decembrer, European Commission release the fitness check results and they are largely positive, concluding the EU Water Framework Directive to be “fit for purpose”, acknowledging that the objectives of the law “are as relevant now as they were at the time of the adoption” and that the law has led to “a higher level of protection for water bodies and flood risk management”. The results also saying that any lack of progress is due to ‘insufficient funding, slow implementation and insufficient integration of environmental objectives in sectoral policies, and not due to a deficiency in the legislation’.

The conclusions also reference that : ‘water policy is very important to European citizens. The public consultation received more than 370,000 responses in total, which is an exceptionally high number’. Congratulations to all citizens and NGOs participated through the #ProtectWater campaign making this happen. And of course Living Rivers Europe coalition will be closely monitoring next steps.

These results are a very important first step towards bringing our European freshwater bodies back to life and must revitalize Member States who are now finalising their River Basin Management Plans to achieve the WFD’s objectives during the 2022-2027 cycle. This is an unparalleled opportunity for them to triple and speed-up their efforts on water protection, but also challenge climate change, water scarcity and pollutants of emerging concern for whom the report says that the Water Framework Directive flexible enough to accommodate this emerging pressures.

More infos
>Read Living Rivers Europe press release below
> More info about the campaign and Living Rivers Europe
> press release from ‘European Commission”

Media release

The European Commission’s final evaluation of EU water legislation has concluded the EU Water Framework Directive to be “fit for purpose”, acknowledging that the objectives of the law “are as relevant now as they were at the time of the adoption” and that the law has led to “a higher level of protection for water bodies and flood risk management”.

This concludes the two-year evaluation of the Water Framework Directive (WFD) and, by discarding the possibility of revision, sets the EU back on course to bring life back to its rivers through full implementation and enforcement of the law.

The message from the European Commission is clear: the WFD is a critical pillar of the EU’s environmental legislation and is here to stay in its current form. The fitness-check results highlight that the delay in reaching the WFD’s objectives is “largely due to insufficient funding, slow implementation and insufficient integration of environmental objectives in sectoral policies, and not due to a deficiency in the legislation.”

The conclusions come hot on the heels of the European Environment Agency’s State of the Environment Report 2020, which highlighted the WFD as being essential to halting and reversing biodiversity loss. The conclusions are strongly supported by WWF, EEB, Wetlands International, the European Rivers Network and European Anglers Alliance – who together form the Living Rivers Europe coalition and led the #ProtectWater campaign to safeguard the WFD. 

Andreas Baumüller, Head of Natural Resources at  WWF’s European Policy Office and Chair of the Living Rivers Europe coalition, said

“By signing off the Water Framework Directive as fit for purpose, the European Commission is standing shoulder to shoulder with the hundreds of thousands of European citizens, scientists and civil society groups who have all championed the WFD over the past two years. 

We congratulate President Von der Leyen on sealing the deal before the end of the year. As the results point out, slow implementation is to blame for not having yet reached the WFD’s objectives. As expressed yesterday upon the publication of the European Green Deal, the Commission now needs to put its money where its mouth is. It must ensure that Member States submit ambitious plans and concrete actions to achieve the law’s objectives by 2027, and that this is supported by dedicated funding.”

Mark Owen, Freshwater Policy Advisor to the European Anglers Alliance and Living Rivers Europe partner, said
 
“For 20 years we have been battling Member States to properly implement the Water Framework Directive as the most sustainable way of restoring fish stocks for the millions of anglers who take part in recreational fishing, the thousands of jobs that depend on angling together with the rural economies that directly benefit from angling tourism. Now that the fitness check has determined that the WFD is not only fit for purpose but that failure is due to lack of implementation by Member States, we would expect urgent action to conform with the present legal requirements to deliver for fish and fishing.”

Support for the WFD stretches far and wide 

Just last week, an open letter from 5,500+ scientists was sent to Executive Vice-President Timmermans and Commissioner Sinkevičius, calling on them to “save and implement the Water Framework Directive” in order to halt and reverse the catastrophic decline in freshwater biodiversity. Earlier this year, 375,386 citizens took a stand for the WFD through the #ProtectWater campaign, which facilitated citizens’ participation in the European Commission’s public consultation on the WFD (the only opportunity for the general public to have its say during the fitness-check) to express their clear opposition to changing the legislation. This made the public consultation on the WFD the third largest in the history of the EU. It went on to be supported by more than 130 civil society organisations, including national partners and offices of Greenpeace, BirdLife and Friends of the Earth, as well as unions. 

A well enforced WFD must be at the heart of the European Green Deal

The gifts people and nature receive from healthy rivers, lakes and wetlands are key to delivering the four main pillars of the European Green Deal. From supporting climate adaptation to protecting biodiversity, fuelling sustainable food systems to thriving economies, a strong WFD forms the necessary baseline to secure all the benefits healthy freshwater ecosystems provide. 

Next steps

Looking ahead, it is now important to pull all efforts towards reaching the objectives of the WFD by 2027. 

There is a long way to go. 60% of EU surface waters are not healthy, failing to meet the WFD’s standards. Last week’s State of the Environment Report 2020 showed that, out of the four freshwater indicators analysed by the EEA, only one has shown progress over the last 10-15 years. For all indicators, the outlook to 2030 is “a mixed picture”. 

However, Member States are now finalising their plans to achieve the WFD’s objectives during the 2022-2027 cycle (known as River Basin Management Plans). This is an unparalleled opportunity for them to triple and speed-up their efforts on water protection. The European Commission needs to embark all actors together in an ambitious vision for healthy and clean waters in Europe, one which requires political will, enforcement of the legislation, and investments.

 

Contact:

Sophie Bauer
Communications Officer (Freshwater)
WWF European Policy Office
sbauer@wwf.eu 
+32 471 05 25 11

Claire Baffert
Senior Water Policy Officer
WWF European Policy Office
cbaffert@wwf.eu 
+32 49273 1092

5,500+ scientists call on European Commission to defend the EU water law

6th of Décember , an open letter from 5,500+ scientists was sent to Executive Vice-President Timmermans and Commissioner Sinkevičius, calling on them to “save and implement the Water Framework Directive” in order to halt and reverse the catastrophic decline in freshwater biodiversity.  Congratulations to all signatories for this commitment!
It is still possible to join the statement and sign.

NGOs and Living Rivers Europe Coalition reaction

“Scientists and academics concerned by the dire state of European rivers, lakes and wetlands have released a statement calling on the EU to fully implement and enforce its own water law – the EU Water Framework Directive (WFD) – in order to halt and reverse the catastrophic decline in the world’s freshwater biodiversity.

The statement has been endorsed by twelve scientific bodies representing over 5,000 scientists, and nearly 500 individual scientists specialising in the wide array of species impacted by the WFD – from amphibians to insects, freshwater fishes to birdlife. The scientists include Dr. Jörg Freyhof, Regional Chair of the IUCN/WI Freshwater Fish Specialist Group, and Professor Carlos Garcia de Leaniz, Director of Swansea University’s Centre for Sustainable Aquatic Research.

The statement was released earlier today alongside an op-ed for Euractiv by Professor Steven Weiss – a freshwater biodiversity expert at the University of Graz and one of the statement’s signatories.

The statement describes the WFD as a critical tool for ensuring that Europe has “healthy and resilient freshwater bodies to support people and nature, today and in the future”, stressing that ‘There cannot be an effective European Green Deal without healthy freshwater ecosystems at the heart of it’. The statement is released as the European Commission is in the final stages of a standard evaluation of the WFD – known as a “fitness-check” – which is designed to assess whether the law is still relevant and fit for purpose. The final conclusions of this evaluation are expected next week.

Andreas Baumüller, Head of Natural Resources at  WWF’s European Policy Office, said:
“EU Member States and business lobbies have been using the fitness-check of the Water Framework Directive to push for weaker environmental standards. The European Commission’s silence has been deafening, and it has continued to allow the impact of the WFD to be gutted by poor implementation and abuse of exemptions. We hope this massive call from thousands of scientists acts as a final wake-up call for the Commission: This law is the right tool to protect Europe’s rivers, any watering down of it would put the European Green Deal in serious jeopardy.”

ENDS

Contact:
Alexandra Chevalier
WWF European Policy Office
achevalier@wwf.eu
0032 48449 4354

Claire Baffert
Senior Water Policy Officer
WWF European Policy Office
0032 49273 1092

24-26 sept : Seminary “Selune revival” : great success !

From Septemebr 24-26  will be held a International seminary on the large scale damremoval and the revival of the Sélune Valey in Rennes/Avranches (Mont aint Michel) ; It is the 5th international symposium on the restoration of ecological continuity of rivers!
The conference, will bring together 200 people from 20 different countries as well as from the Sélune River region … !!

> more informations about the event and the organisation

> Read Press Release (French Only)

 

Rhine : Commission urges FRANCE to step up efforts to restore the ecological flow of the Rhine River

Photo : Copyright EDF

 

Commission urges FRANCE to step up efforts to restore the ecological flow of the Rhine River

The Commission is calling on Franceto comply with its obligations under EU law (the Water Framework Directive, Directive 2000/60/EC. The Commission urges the French authorities to improve the condition of the Rhine River on its territory to ensuring ecological continuity, namely allowing fish species to migrate beyond dams. Under the Directive, adopted in October 2000, Member States agreed to take measures to ensure that water bodies achieve good ecological status by 2015. EU countries have to comply with a number of conditions set out in the EU legislation, regarding biodiversity, pollution, and natural flow. The deadline may be extended under certain conditions, but the Commission is concerned that France has not provided sufficient justifications for postponing the date of compliance. In addition, the French authorities have not provided a timetable with a programme for meeting these EU norms. France now has two months to address the Commission’s concerns. Otherwise, the Commission may decide to send a reasoned opinion.

https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/EN/INF_19_4251

Remember : ERN supported by the international Salmon Comeback Coalition (NGOs)  filed an EU complaint against France end of 2018 . ERNs complaint is directed at France due to the infringement of the Water Frame Directive

> Visite the salmoncomeback Campaign Website

Logo ERN, petit format

RIVERS in the spotlight in the latest issue of RELIEFS magazine

Magazine RELIEFS – Cover n°9, dedicated to the rivers

Do you know the French Magazine “Reliefs” ? His latest issue (9) is devoted to the rivers!
Contents : anatomy and pathologies of the rivers, living with the river, shared rivers: awakening upstream, interview with Erik Orsenna, illustrated literary extracts, endangered species, the longest rivers in the world, river turbines , tidings, reading tips, movies, music …

ERN France, through its president, R. Epple, had the honor and the pleasure of writing the forum, which you can find on line at (in French only) : https://reliefseditions.com/fleuves/

As always, the Reliefs folder is extended in old maps, notebooks, serigraphs, prints and educational coloring on fauna and flora. >> Read more about Reliefs magazine

 

France: Biggest dam removal in European history started

Photo : Copyright Vincent M.

 

Sélune River, Normandy, France – In a historic moment for Europe’s rivers, the first, irreparable breach was made today in the 36 metre high Vezins Dam – kick-starting the biggest dam removal in Europe so far.

This landmark event is part of a long-term project to free the Sélune River, and bring salmon, eels and other wildlife back to the river and the famous bay of Mont-Saint-Michel – a UNESCO world heritage site and one of Europe’s prime tourist attractions.

Along the Sélune River in Normandy, the removal of two old, obsolete dams over the next two years – the Vezins and La Roche Qui Boit— will open up 90 km of river, improving water quality, allowing migratory salmon to return to their ancient spawning grounds and benefiting people and nature all along the river.

“The removal of the Vezins Dam signals a revolution in Europe’s attitude to its rivers: instead of building new dams, countries are rebuilding healthy rivers and bringing back biodiversity,” says Roberto Epple, president of European Rivers Network and 2018 Euronatur Award recipient. “Nature can recover remarkably quickly when dams are removed and I look forward to watching salmon swimming past Mont St Michel and spawning in the headwaters of the Sélune for the first time since my grandparents were young.”

Historically, the Sélune River was home to salmon that travelled from the river mouth, near Mont Saint Michel, upstream to mate and lay eggs. However, construction of these two dams stopped the salmon from migrating and this effectively stopped the recreational and commercial harvest of them as populations collapsed. The removal of these dams will help to bring more wildlife and biodiversity back to the river along with other recreational and touristic opportunities.

Artificial barriers (dams) are one of the biggest threats to river ecosystems, resulting in river fragmentation and loss of habitat connectivity. They stop the natural flow of sediments downstream and affect migratory fishes from travelling up- or downstream to complete their lifecycles. These impediments often lead to the decrease or decimation of native fish populations and can harbour other, non-native species in their adjacent impoundments. A new study in Naturerevealed just one-third of the world’s longest rivers remain free-flowing with river “fragmentation and flow regulation are the leading contributors to the loss of river connectivity.”

Globally, freshwater species populations have declined by 83% on average since 1970. The recently approved Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) reportspecifically recommends conserving and restoring river connectivity to boost freshwater biodiversity. As prescribed by the Water Framework Directive (WFD), each of Europe’s rivers must attain a ‘good’ ecological status and yet 40% of rivers fall short. Removal of old, obsolete dams is a viable option to help reach WFD goals, reconnect and restore rivers and allow fish populations and other wildlife to return and flourish. In fact, many countries in Europe are now removing dams as the economic, environmental and social benefits of doing so far outweigh the alternative of restoring the dam.

It is estimated that over 3,500 barriers have been removed across Europe including the biggest dam removal in Spain last year and an ongoing historical river restoration project in Estonia that will remove 8-10 dam and open up 3,300km of river basin. Moreover, European citizens are also donating funds to see these barriers go as a part of a larger dam removal crowdfunding campaign.

“There are tens of thousands of old, obsolete dams in Europe that can and should be removed,” says Arjan Berkhuysen, managing director of the World Fish Migration Foundation.  “We are hopeful that by removing not only big dams like this but also by removing small barriers through local efforts we can restore these important life sources.”

The unique project will measure the effects of dam removal with ten-years worth of environmental data.

More information :  https://www.ern.org/en/selune-libre/

Dowload Press Release here

##

Notes for Editors:

Photographs of the dam and start of its removal are available here, please respect the copyrights.

Contact:
Roxanne Diaz, WFMF Communications Officer, Mob +31 (0) 6 18918786 Email: roxanne@fishmigration.org
Roberto Epple, Chairman ERN European Rivers Network / Friends of the Sélune, Mob. +33 6  08 62 12 67 , Email : roberto.epple@ern.org

Dam Removal Europe The Dam Removal Europe initiative aims to connect local dam removal projects, stakeholders and organizations to better highlight and disseminate the positive impacts dam removal provides for rivers. It is an initiative that allows relevant specialists share knowledge and inspire new visions for a free-flowing Europe. Dam Removal Europe better enables support and guidance for future dam removal projects under the umbrella of the European Dam Removal movement.

ERN European Rivers Network > www.ern.org  ERN is an NGO engaged in the preservation and sustainable management of water and rivers. ERN is based in France and is Freshwater-Partner of WWF France.

New report by WWF / TNC : “Connected and flowing : a renewable future for rivers, climate and people”

13th of May,  WWF and TNC launched a major report on the accelerating the renewable revolution in Paris,  just before the opening of the WorldHydropower Congress.
This report “Connected and Flowing: a renewable future for rivers, the climate and people” shows how for the first time global climate (keep warming below 1.5 degrees) and energy goals (provide power to the 1 billion people who currently lack access), without sacrificing the world’s remaining free flowing rivers – wich deliver a number of critical ecosystem services.

 The report is a collaboration between WWF,TNC, IUCN, the Stimson Center, the University of California, Berkeley, the University of California, Los Angeles, Manchester University and Stanford University Woods Institute for the Environment.

> More infos on the WWF Site