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EU-WFD
EU-WFD - News
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More stringent water quality standards requested by the European Parliament
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France condemned again for failing to meet water quality requirements
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Call for papers for « INBO - Session » : “Floods, droughts and extreme phenomenon prevention, new tools introduced by the European Water framework Directive.”
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INSPIRE Conference 2008: Call for papers
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Call for papers for the International Conference ‘Xenobiotics in the Urban Water Cycle – XENOWAC 2009’
EU-WFD - Events
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Seminar on Monitoring and Assessment of Transboundary Waters
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VI Iberian Conference on water management & planning: The new basin management plans. An opportunity for the recovery of water cycles
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5-day shortcourse: "River Restoration: Fluvial-Geomorphic and Ecological Processes"
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International Conference on “water resources management under extreme conditions”: « ECWATECH-2008 » and « INBO - Session » : “Floods, droughts and extreme phenomenon prevention, new tools introduced by the European Water framework Directive.”
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INSPIRE Conference 2008
The EU Water Framework Directive (a new scheme for integrated river basin management)
The"Directive 2000/60/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council establishing a framework for the Community action in the field of water policy" was adopted on 23 October 2000. It is generally referred to as the EU Water Framework Directive (or WFD).
Since the implementation of the WFD resides fully within the competence of individual Member States, it was recognised that a common approach to some of these challenges would allow the sharing of expertise, information, experience and resources whilst facilitating, as far as possible, a coherent and harmonious implementation of the Directive. A Common Implementation Strategy (CIS) was thus agreed in May 2001 between the Member States, Norway and the European Commission. The aim of the Common Implementation Strategy (CIS) is to allow, as far as possible, the coherent implementation of the Water Framework Directive, whilst focusing on methodological questions relating to achieving a common understanding of the technical and scientific implications of the Directive. Guidance documents, recommendations for operational methods and other supporting information may be developed, but the implementation of the Directive will be the responsibility of the Member State. As such, these documents are informal and not legally binding in character, but should limit any risks associated with the application of the Directive.
Some of the elements of the new and innovative approach to managing Europe's water resources in the WFD are:- ambitious objectives and clear deadlines
- the introduction of river basin management on a Europe-wide scale
- the requirement for cross border cooperation in water management between countries and all involved parties
- pollution prevention and control on the basis of the so-called "combined approach"
- greater public participation in water management
- economic analysis of water use.
The WFD is a legislative framework to protect and improve the quality of all water resources such as rivers, lakes, groundwater, transitional and coastal water within the European Union.