Water Framework Directive fitness check : the threat of weakening the law becomes real

The #ProtectWater campaign call exceeded 100,000 signatures in less than a month. Congratulation !! But that’s not enough for the European Commission!

The announced threat of a weakening of the Framework Directive is coming to fruition. Member States have been preparing a paper on the future of the WFD which is explicit on the need to change the WFD. 29 November in Vienna, the Water Directors are aiming to adopt by a consensus this document announcing a weakening of the law.

Remain mobilized and of course if you have not done yet sign the public consultation

#ProtectWater : 100 000 signatures and new visuals

The #ProtectWater campaign call exceeded 100,000 signatures in less than a month. Congratulation !! But it is not enough !

For the second phase of the campaign, we launched new visuals to engage the public.

The threat of seeing our emblematic species disappear if the WFD is changed or weakened is the theme for the month of November.

Follow us on Facebook and sign the public consultation

Swiss river conservationist Roberto Epple receives EuroNatur Award 2018

Radolfzell, Mainau Island (Germany).
October 10, Roberto Epple, president of the European Rivers Network (ERN), received the EuroNatur Award 2018 on Mainau Island (Lake Constance) for his outstanding personal dedication to protecting the rivers of Europe. “The passion that Roberto Epple brings into his efforts for Central European river landscapes is exemplary for our conservation work and further encourages us to never give up, even if the opponent seems too strong. With his unswerving love for the rivers he is an inspiring example for us”, EuroNatur president Christel Schroeder states a reason for the choice of this year’s award winner.

Read the complet Pressrelease including a link to HD Photos :
20181010_Preisverleihung Roberto Epple_engl

 

Launch of the « ProtectWater » campaign

European rivers and lakes are under attack ! Act now to protect them ! Participate in the European Commission’s public consultation !

This is the appeal of the online campaign #ProtectWater, lunched today by WWF, the European Environmental Bureau, European Anglers Alliance, European Rivers Network and Wetlands International, who together form the Living Rivers Europe coalition.

During the first step, the campaign uses provocative scenarios and imagery around the future of beer to encourage citizens in Europe and beyond to participate in the European Commission’s public consultation on the EU Water Framework Directive (WFD), which is running until 4 March 2019.

This consultation is the only opportunity for the general public to have its say during the evaluation of the law, and the campaign provides an easy tool for citizens to express their support to keep this law strong and effective.

Read presse release

Campaign page and link to participate to the public consultation

#ProtectWater #ProtectBeer

New report : Bringing life back to Europe’s waters, the EU water law in action (LRE/ERN)

The WFD is one of the most ambitious, holistic pieces of EU environmental legislation ever to pass.
The new report by WWF, EEB, the European Anglers Alliance and European Rivers Network shows, where political will exists, the WFD provides an effective framework for addressing the main pressures facing rivers, lakes, wetlands, streams and groundwater.

This report published for the EU Water Conference on 20 and 21 September in Vienna where it will set the course for the future of European water protection as decision-makers come together to take stock of Member States’ progress in sustainable water management and implementing the EU’s water legislation, and discuss whether the existing EU legislation is still “fit for purpose”. It is a critical time in the current “fitness check” process for the Commission to gather views from Member States, their agencies and a variety of stakeholders.

Download the report

Brussels – 20 September 2018 , Media Release from WWF

“Bring life back to Europe’s rivers and lakes”, WWF urges Member States ahead of critical water conference in Vienna

 As EU Member States, the European Commission and other stakeholders gather in Vienna today, WWF calls for their clear commitment to saving Europe’s rivers, lakes and wetlands, and for a full implementation of the EU Water Framework Directive (WFD), the most important legal instrument for protecting Europe’s freshwater bodies.

The EU Water Conference on 20 and 21 September will set the course for the future of European water protection as decision-makers come together to take stock of Member States’ progress in sustainable water management and implementing the EU’s water legislation, and discuss whether the existing EU legislation is still “fit for purpose”. It is a critical time in the current “fitness check” process for the Commission to gather views from Member States, their agencies and a variety of stakeholders.

For WWF, it is clear that the current EU water law is ambitious and effective, and are disheartened by Member States’ lack of political will to make it work on the ground. An amendment to the law as a result of the fitness check process would simply allow Member States to side-step their legal obligation to bring all European waters into good condition by 2027 at the latest and to protect them from deterioration.

“A weakening of the legislation would be a declaration of bankruptcy of European environmental policy,” said Martina Mlinaric, Senior Water Policy Officer at WWF’s European Policy Office said. “Having missed the original objective of bringing all European waters to good health by 2015, Member States are now feeling the pressure, but, instead of doubling their efforts, many governments are now desperately searching for an easy way out of their commitments and are using the fitness check process to achieve that.”

As part of its fitness check, the European Commission will soon launch a public consultation, asking both European citizens and experts to provide their own opinions and assessment of the EU water law. The results of this consultation will contribute directly to the European Commission’s assessment of the legislation.

“An objective and transparent evaluation involving the public is critical. We therefore urge all stakeholders and European citizens to stand up for our rivers and lakes and make their voices heard” said Andreas Baumüller, Head of Natural Resources at WWF’s European Policy Office. “As WWF, our message to Member States and the European Commission is simple:  Bring life back to Europe’s rivers, lakes and wetlands – defend the EU water law!”

The WFD is one of the most ambitious, holistic pieces of EU environmental legislation ever to pass and, as a new report by WWF, EEB, the European Anglers Alliance and European Rivers Network shows [1], where political will exists, the WFD provides an effective framework for addressing the main pressures facing rivers, lakes, wetlands, streams and groundwater. Nevertheless, with only a measly 40% of EU waters currently healthy [2], it is clear that Member States need to seriously step up their game if they are ever to reach the final 2027 good status objective. So far, Member States’ ambition and efforts have been minimal at best, evident through their largely ineffective river basin management plans, programmes of measures, insufficient funding allocation, and excessive use (and misuse!) of the various types of exemptions provided within the law.

There have been meetings between Member States to discuss the future of the EU water law, all of which have taken place outside of the official process [3]. Some of these took place before the Commission’s official fitness check had even started, let alone concluded. This is despite the fact that, since the legislation came into effect, there has been an official, transparent process to support Member States with implementing this law, including NGOs and other stakeholders.

________________________

[1] Bringing life back to Europe’s waters: The EU water law in action, 2018, WWF, EEB, European Anglers Alliance and European Rivers Network (available to download here as of 20 September: http://www.wwf.eu/media_centre/publications/)

[2] European waters – assessment of status and pressures, 2018, EEA

[3] Whilst Member States are free to discuss what they want, these meetings deviate significantly from the established Common Implementation Strategy process, which was designed to involve all Member States, the Commission and relevant stakeholders (such as industry and environmental NGOs), and ultimately support Member States with implementing the Directive. As part of this process, all topics related to EU water legislation must be tackled by the Strategic Coordination Group, which is comprised of relevant stakeholders (including WWF), Member States and the Commission. However, Member States have been taking topics out of this group and discussing them in their own meetings. These meetings also undermine the official fitness check process that the Commission has only recently started, and will clearly establish whether the Directive has delivered or not (and, if not, why not).

Save the Blue Heart of Europe : Another victory for the “Brave Women of Kruščica”

 ++ Women block bridge in Bosnia-Herzegovina for over a year to protect their river ++ New attempt by the investor to vacate the bridge has been successfully fended off ++ Documentary on resistance against dams in the Balkans now available on iTunes ++
 

Press release from “Blue Heart” campaign, Riverwatch, EuroNatur

Kruščica, Vienna, Radolfzell, August 23, 2018. Last Friday, August 17th, residents of Kruščica once again prevented the investor of the planned hydropower plants Kruščica 1 and Kruščica 2 from starting construction works. About 200 villagers and neighbours blocked passage to the bridge, forcing construction workers and their machineries to retreat.

Investor with police protection © Abaz Dželilović

The atmosphere was tense as this new attempt of the investor came almost exactly one year after the women experienced considerable police violence. On August 24th, 2017, Bosnian riot police forces forcibly cleared the drive-up to the bridge; many women who stood peaceful guard on the bridge got hurt, arrested and fined. Fortunately, no violence occurred this time.

Street blockade © Abaz Dželilović

The fact that the investor has made another attempt to start construction works on the power plants shows how important the presence of the brave women continues to be. In June, the competent cantonal court revoked the environmental permit for the dam construction, however, the investor could possibly be granted another permit to continue construction if the application was revised accordingly. Apparently, he is already planning this even without a new court ruling.

Maida Bilal, one of the women of Kruščica, states: “In spite of all the strains, with which we have to cope day by day, we’ll not give up. We stand together shoulder to shoulder to protect our river and its beauty against the construction machinery.”
Ulrich Eichelmann, CEO of Riverwatch, says: “The whole farce around Kruščica could be ended by imposing a construction freeze of the two power plants. We call on the responsible Minister Salkan Merdžanic to finally cancel the concessions for Kruščica 1 and Kruščica 2; otherwise the situation threatens to escalate.”

The “Brave Women of Kruščica” play a prominent role in the documentary “Blue Heart”. This film, which has been commissioned by outdoor clothing company Patagonia, will be screened in Kruščica on the August 24th, 2018 – the anniversary of the violent police operation. As of now, “Blue Heart” is available from iTunes (€ 4.99).

Excavator © Abaz Dželilović

Kruscica women on the bridge © Andrew Burr

Download press release in PDF

Background information

  • This is a joint press release by EuroNatur, Riverwatch, and Center for Environment
  • Please find further information on the film “Blue Heart”, which has been screened in numerous countries on different continents, on the website “The dam truth”.
  • The Patagonia film ‘Blue Heart’ supports the campaign “Save the Blue Heart of Europe, which aims to protect the most valuable rivers in the Balkans from a dam tsunami of about 2,800 dam projects. The campaign is coordinated by the NGOs Riverwatch and EuroNatur and carried out together with partner organisations in the Balkan countries. In Bosnia & Herzegovina, the local partner is Center for Environment.
  • Photos attached: The attached photo material can be used once in connection with this press release and indicating photo credits. Information about the photos:
  1. Accompanied by police and with heavy construction machinery, the investor of the planned hydropower plants showed up at the village of Kruščica last Friday. © Abaz Dželilović
  2. The villagers were alerted quickly and blocked access to the river. © Abaz Dželilović
  3. This excavator must not stay – it embodies the threat of destruction of the river. © Abaz Dželilović
  4. For over a year, the “Brave Women of Kruščica” keep a bridge over their river occupied in order to prevent the construction of two hydropower projects. The two plants threaten the integrity of this wild river as well as the community’s drinking water supply. © Andrew Burr

 

Contact information

Jelena Ivanić – local Blue Heart campaign coordinator in Bosnia-Herzegovina, Center for Environment
jelena.ivanic@czzs.org, +387/65779467
Cornelia Wieser, international Blue Heart campaign coordinator, Riverwatch
cornelia.wieser@riverwatch.eu, +43 650 4544784
Christian Stielow, press and public relations, EuroNatur
christian.stielow@euronatur.org, +49 7732 927215

EuroNatur Award 2018 goes to Roberto Epple, ERN founder & chairman

Press release from EuroNatur 4 july 2018

2018 EuroNatur Award goes to Roberto Epple, founding President of the European Rivers Network, he has devoted himself for decades to the wild rivers of Europe.

An inspirational river conservationist: Roberto Epple receives the EuroNatur Award in October 2018. © ERN/France

Hydroelectric dams downgrade living river landscapes into a string of species-poor reservoirs. This trend has been resisted with body and soul by Roberto Epple over many years. For this commitment he is being awarded the EuroNatur Award on 10th October 2018.

This native of Switzerland was quick to recognise the importance of intact rivers for man and nature. As early as the 1970s, he was organising small campaigns against the construction of power stations in the Swiss Alps. He drew considerable attention to the issue in his documentary “Resistance on the River“ from 1987, which showed the protests against the construction of a power station on the Danube near Hainburg in Austria.  One of the last big floodplain forests in Europe was designated as a national park as a result of the protest movement. Epple won further acclaim for his commitment for the saving of the Loire in France where he prevented the construction of four large dams and achieved the dismantling of two more.

“The commitment of Roberto Epple to Central Europe’s river landscapes serves as an inspiration for the campaigns being waged by EuroNatur and its partner organisations against the hydroelectric power lobby in the Balkans,” said EuroNatur President, Christel Schroeder, supporting the choice of this year’s prize winner. With this award, Epple joins the ranks of public figures such as Klaus Töpfer, Prince Charles and the American best-selling author Jonathan Franzen. All have received the EuroNatur Award for their exemplary commitment to the European natural heritage.

Again and again, Roberto Epple’s creative campaigns have succeeded in raising public awareness of river conservation. He it was, for example, who initiated the Big Jump, in which people from all over Europe gather on the banks of their rivers, and all go for a swim at the same time. With this collective jump into the water, young and old celebrate European River Swimming Day, and highlight the need for clean rivers, unspoilt by development. On Sunday 8th July at 3pm Central European Time, this event will be again taking place in numerous locations throughout Europe.

Background Information:

  • EuroNatur Award: Former prize-winners include Jonathan Franzen, Dr. Luc Hoffmann, Michail Gorbatschow, Nelson Mandela, Dr. Mario F. Broggi and Gudrun Steinacker. The EuroNatur Award carries no monetary reward, and is awarded for outstanding contributions to nature conservation. The 2018 EuroNatur Award will be presented to Roberto Epple on Wednesday 10th October 2018 at 17.00 on the island of Mainau on Lake Constance.
  • Danube, Elbe, Loire, Ebro and Rhine are just some of the rivers which have featured in Roberto Epple’s life, rivers for which this hydrobiologist, born in St. Gallen in 1945, has fought numerous campaigns to preserve them  in their natural state. His first experiences in the area of communication and the environment were gained in international chemical and textile companies. The passionate defence by many people of the Danube floodplain forests near Hainburg in the 1980’s galvanised this native of Switzerland. Since 1993 Epple has been president of the European Rivers Network (ERN), a network of European environmental and conservation organisations which campaign for the preservation of European rivers.
  • Big Jump: The European River Bathing Day, also known as the Big Jump, started with the Elbe Bathing Day, which Roberto Epple launched in 2002 with the organisation Environmental Action Germany (DUH). Since 2005, Epple has organised the Europe-wide River Bathing Day with the ERN. The goal of the River Bathing campaign is to raise public awareness of the need for protecting waterways, particularly in the framework of the EU Water Framework Directive.

European waters getting cleaner, but big challenges remain (PR/ EEA)

Press release from European Environement Agency, 3 July 2018

“Despite progress in improving the quality of Europe’s lakes, rivers, coastal waters and groundwater sources, pollution, structures like dams, and over-abstraction remain top threats to their long-term health. A vast majority of Europe’s water bodies still fail to meet the European Union’s minimum target for ‘good status’, according to a European Environment Agency ‘state of water’ report published today.

 Image © EEA/Peter Kristensen

We must increase efforts to ensure our waters are as clean and resilient as they should be — our own well-being and the health of our vital water and marine ecosystems depend on it. This is critical to the long-term sustainability of our waters and in meeting our long-term goals of living well within the limits of our planet.

Hans Bruyninckx, EEA Executive Director

EU Member States have made marked efforts to improve water quality, by improving wastewater treatment and lowering the runoff of pollutants from farmland, according to the EEA report ‘European waters — assessment of status and pressures 2018’. Measures have also been taken to make barriers passable to migrating fish and restore degraded aquatic ecosystems.

While Europe’s ground water bodies, like aquifers, are in good health in most cases, only 40% of monitored lakes, rivers, estuaries and coastal waters achieved the  the EU Water Framework Directive’s minimum ‘good’ or ‘high’ ecological status during the 2010-2015 monitoring period, according to the report. The last EEA assessment in 2012 found a similar level of water bodies meeting ‘good’ or ‘high’ ecological status. The EEA assessment also looked at the quantitative state and over-abstraction of Europe’s groundwater and the overall chemical status of water bodies.

The EEA report gives an updated health check on over 130,000 surface and groundwater bodies monitored by EU Member States, based on the data collected and reported from more than 160 so-called River Basin Management Plans covering the period 2010 to 2015.

‘Thanks to the implementation of European water legislation in the Member States, the quality of Europe’s freshwater is gradually improving, but much more needs to be done before all lakes, rivers, coastal waters and groundwater bodies are in good status. Tackling pollution from agriculture, industry and households requires joint efforts from all water users throughout Europe,’ said Karmenu Vella, EU Commissioner for Environment, Maritime Affairs and Fisheries.

‘We must increase efforts to ensure our waters are as clean and resilient as they should be — our own well-being and the health of our vital water and marine ecosystems depend on it. This is critical to the long-term sustainability of our waters and in meeting our long-term goals of living well within the limits of our planet,’ said Hans Bruyninckx, EEA Executive Director.

The EEA water assessment is the second since 2012. Knowledge of Europe’s waters has grown significantly since then, providing a better understanding of the status, the problems that lead to failure in achieving ‘good status’ and the measures implemented to generate improvement. The EEA report complements a forthcoming European Commission report, which will assess to what extent the Member States comply with the Water Framework Directive. This Directive sets out a framework on how to assess, manage, protect and improve water quality across the EU. It requires Member States to produce River Basin Management Plans (RBMPs) as well as a Programme of Measures to improve water quality.

Percentage of surface water bodies in less than good ecological status by River Basin Districts 

Note: Percentage based on known ecological status or potential (without unknown status).  Caution is needed when comparing results between Member States, as the results can be significantly affected by the methodology applied by individual Member States.

Other key findings

  • Compared to surface waters, groundwater sources generally have the best status. Good chemical status has been achieved for 74% of the groundwater area, while 89 % of the area achieved good quantitative status. The reasons for not meeting the minimum targets were mostly due to contamination of water sites by nitrates from agricultural run-off, salt intrusion, and the seeping of hazardous chemicals from contaminated sites (e.g. industrial sites, mining areas or waste storage).
  • Northern Scandinavia, northern United Kingdom (Scotland) and Estonia, as well as Slovakia, Romania, and several river basin districts in the Mediterranean region show a high proportion of surface water bodies in high or good ecological status. In contrast, many of the central European river basin districts, with higher population density and more intensive agriculture, show the highest proportion of water bodies failing to achieve good ecological status.
  • Only 38% of monitored lakes, rivers and other surface water bodies are in good chemical status — with concentrations of pollutants not exceeding environmental quality EU-wide standards.
  • In most Member States, a few substances account for poor chemical status, the most common being mercury. Once widely used in thermometers, batteries, and paints, mercury continues to be found in water samples, followed by cadmium, which is used in phosphate fertilisers and in metal production.
  • The Water Framework Directive and RBMPs have significantly improved water management across the EU. Many Member States have invested in better ecological and chemical monitoring programmes, with more monitoring sites, more quality elements assessed and more chemicals analysed. This has led to increased availability of information and provides a much better understanding of status and pressures. The Water Framework Directive has also generated a substantial effort across EU Member States to reduce sources of pollution from agriculture, industry and households, as well as in a more natural flow of rivers and the removal of obstacles to fish migration, generating benefits for nature and protection against floods.

EU water quality target

Achieving good status involves meeting certain standards for the ecology, chemistry and quantity of waters. Ecological status is the best overall indicator of how healthy a body of water is. It takes into account how pollution, habitat degradation, climate change, and other pressures like the number of man-made dams impact the quality of the water.

The top pressures responsible hindering progress  in meeting the EU targets include barriers like dams, land reclamation, and channelization, which change the flow of rivers or streams; diffuse source pollution like farm run-off; and point source pollution such as waste water discharge from sewers. The main impacts on surface water bodies are nutrient enrichment, chemical pollution and altered habitats due to morphological changes.

Monitoring and reporting are the main tools used to classify the health of EU waters. EU Member States define the status based on a scale from high, good, and moderate to poor and bad status for surface waters and two classes, good or poor, for groundwater. Monitoring is meant to track the effectiveness of measures to clean up water bodies and achieve the EU’s ‘good status’ target.

EU Member States are currently in their second monitoring and reporting cycle (2015-2021) under the EU Water Framework Directive. This round includes 89,000 rivers, 18,000 lakes, 13,000 groundwater sites, and 3,600 coastal and estuary waters. Reporting from Greece, Ireland, Lithuania and from parts of Spain could not be included in the report.”

 

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15 of May : First screening in France of the film «Blue Heart», produce by Patagonia

Patagonia will present his new movie  “Blue Heart” in France the 15 of May 2018, at Paris Mk2 cinema.

Second movie produce by Patagonia after Dam Nation, this film is part of the campaign “Save the Blue Heart of Europe“.

ERN France (Roberto Epple) is invited to participate to the debate which will follow the screening. Zoé Heart, Patagonia’s ambassadress will also be present.

Watch the trailer :

All screening dates : https://blueheart.patagonia.com/intl/en/film

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Living Rivers Europe – Press Release on Word Fish Migration Day : Dams have had their day – EU governments must ramp up ambition on their removal

Dams have had their day: EU governments must ramp up ambition on their removal

Brussels – 19 April 2018

World Fish Migration Day – which takes place on 21 April – is a day to celebrate the incredible journey migratory fish undertake to mate. But many never reach their final destination due to tens of thousands of large and small dams, which have been wrecking Europe’s rivers and blocking fish migration routes for generations. And if that weren’t enough, plans for thousands of additional dams are still in the pipeline.

Sergiy Moroz, Senior Policy Officer for Water and Biodiversity at the European Environmental Bureau (EEB) said: “Fragmenting rivers with dams, barrages and other infrastructure is a key reason for the significant losses of fish and other freshwater species across Europe, as well as for the poor state of many of our water bodies [1]. Removing old or obsolete dams helps to restore a river’s connectivity, bringing hope for migratory fish species, such as salmon, eel and sturgeon. This is also one effective way for Member States to meet their legal commitments under the EU Water Framework Directive.”

Despite the destructive effect they have had on our rivers, thousands of hydropower dams are projected to be built all across Europe. Eastern Europe and the Balkans, which hold some of Europe’s most pristine and last few remaining free flowing rivers, are especially vulnerable. However, there has also been a worrying surge in hydropower in parts of Central and Western Europe, where rivers have been heavily modified and degraded for centuries – in Austria alone, around 200 additional hydropower plants are projected to be built.

And there are even plans to resuscitate projects that have been repeatedly declared dead. For instance, the Acheloos River in Greece has been the site of a battle against a water transfer project dating back to the 1980s, which would involve the construction of four dams. The destructive scheme has been blocked through six court rulings, most recently thanks to the Water Framework Directive [2], but the Greek government still hopes to complete the construction of the partly-built Sykia dam – the key point for the completion of the project.

“Dams have had their day in Europe – we must now focus on bringing life back to our rivers”, said Andreas Baumüller, Head of Natural Resources at WWF’s European Policy Office, “It is crucial that EU governments now fully commit to their legal obligations under the Water Framework Directive. It’s time for them to shape up, start taking dam removal seriously, and put a firm stop to any damaging projects that are in the pipeline.”

Dam removals have slowly started to pick up the pace in Europe, and the Water Framework Directive’s ambitious goals, timeline, and visionary approach to water management have been instrumental. It is estimated that around 4,500 obstacles of varying sizes have so far been removed in Europe [3] and, just last year, the French government announced the largest dam removal in Europe to date [4]. Work also began last week on removing the Yecla de Yeltes dam in Spain [5] and the demolition of a number of obstacles in Finland, Spain and the Netherlands are also on the cards.

“These removals are a step towards bringing Europe’s rivers back to life, but there is still a long way to go”, said Mark Owen of the European Anglers Alliance “Dams have dire consequences for migratory fish species, and they also degrade the biodiversity in and around these rivers. We need fewer obstacles and more free flowing rivers, otherwise the EU will never be able to halt biodiversity loss by 2020, as required by its own biodiversity strategy [6].”

_____________________________________________________________________________________

Notes to the editors:

[1] The State of Nature in the EU, European Commission, 2015

[2] The Water Framework Directive was the basis for the latest ruling from the Greek Supreme Court on the Acheloos water transfer project in 2014

[3] ‘INTERVIEW with Dam Removal Europe’, Sustain Europe, 2018, http://www.sustaineurope.com/interview-with-dam-removal-europe-20180224.html

[4] ‘River revolution in Europe as France launches largest dam removal project on the continent’, WWF, 2017, http://www.wwf.eu/?uNewsID=317032

[5] ‘La CHD inicia el derribo de la presa de Yecla de Yeltes’, Salamanca RTV al día, 2018, http://salamancartvaldia.es/not/177064/chd-inicia-demolicion-presa-yecla-yeltes/

[6] EU Biodiversity Strategy, European Commission, 2011
> Link to Living Rivers Europe’s position paper

>About the Water Framework Directive

  1. The Water Framework Directive is one of the EU’s most progressive pieces of environmental legislation. It requires the protection, enhancement and restoration of our rivers, wetlands, lakes and coastal waters, but Member States are currently failing make it work on the ground;
  2. Under the Water Framework Directive, EU governments have committed to ensure no deterioration and achieve good status for the vast majority of all water bodies by 2015, and at the very latest by 2027;
  3. Where implemented, the Water Framework Directive has proved to be effective in achieving its goals of good water status and non-deterioration, successfully balancing environmental, social and economic requirements.

 

For more information please contact:

 

Sophie Bauer, Communications Officer (Freshwater), WWF European Policy Office

sbauer@wwf.eu

+32 471 05 25 11

Download the Press Release in pdf