Water Framework Directive

The European Water Framework Directive is a Directive, which unifies the legal framework for water policy within the EU and aims towards redirecting the water policy on a sustainable and environmentally sound water use.

Official name

Directive 2000/60/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 23 October 2000 establishing a framework for Community action in the field of water policy.

Within the European Union, the natural conditions are very different. It does not take much imagination to imagine that the water management problems in Ireland other than in Sicily or in the Lusatian lignite mining area. Therefore, the Directive limits itself to establish quality objectives and provide methods on how to achieve this and good water quality are to be obtained.

The Directive distinguishes itself by four items that compared to the previous German water policy changes mean and partially improvements and therefore have triggered adaptation needs.

The spatial orientation of river basin

It is based on the simple realization that pollution of surface waters exceed the administrative boundaries, so an effective water management must also be crosscutting. The orientation of the water policy and the management of these river basin was first practiced in the UK and France and gave the impetus for European regulation. Since the catchment areas of many of the great European rivers ( Meuse, Rhine, Elbe, Oder, Danube ) go beyond state borders, was close to a European regulation. The same applies to the groundwater conditions, which are also of independent political boundaries.

The integrated approach

The chemical, biological and ecological quality of water is subject to a variety of influences. In order to evaluate this and to act accordingly initially as a wide data base for the provision or updating the Directive requires consistent and therefore comparable criteria. With regard to the regulatory writes Article 10 of the Directive expressly provides that the loads from point sources (which are mainly industrial discharges and those from wastewater treatment plants) and diffuse sources (which are mainly entries from agricultural activity ) are considered together, what a change from the previous German law.

The cost recovery principle

The Directive requires that by the year 2010, the water supply must be designed to cover costs. So far, the water supply outside the Federal Republic of Germany in some cases, especially as far as she is municipally organized artificially cheapened by subsidies in many places. In addition, some industries will be issued less expensive with high operational water needs water, for economical reasons. The result will likely be increases in water prices, their enforcement should therefore be difficult because water prices over the sewage fees in 've been increased above average the last few years because of the need to retrofit of wastewater treatment plants.

Technical standard of wastewater treatment

According to the Water Framework Directive, the waste water treatment must comply with the best available technologies. This term comes from British law and is therefore often BAT ( Best Available Technique for ) abbreviated. To enable the respective development of advanced processes is meant, but specifically the cost -benefit ratio is considered.

By 2002, Germany formed in the generally recognized rules of technology and the legal requirement to the technical standard of wastewater treatment ( § 7a of the Water Act ). To adapt to the higher requirements of the Water Framework Directive 2002, the generally accepted rules of technology have been replaced by the prior art ( see § 7a WHG version). In force since 1 March 2010 version of the WHG regulate § 3 No. 11 and § 57 accordingly.

Implementation into German law

The German Water Resources Act ( WHG) - originally a framework law of the Federal - has been adapted to the requirements of the Directive in 2002. Also, the water laws of the countries has been adapted in consequence.

The resulting in the concurrent legislative Water Resources Act of 31 July 2009, which entered into force on 1 March 2010, meets the requirements.

Waterways

Federal waterways are operated, maintained and developed by the federal government. For water management and the implementation of the Framework Directive, the Federal States are responsible. As greening of water leads to higher costs, the question of who should pay for these sets (example: Reed as bank protection is expensive, sensitive to waves and ice and little durable; bank in the form of sheet pile walls or riprap are rugged and affordable ). As with any federal- mixed financing (see federalism reform) there is a danger or temptation ( " moral hazard " ) that both players do nothing or too little in the hope that the other one would be " set it already ."

Participation

The Water Framework Directive in accordance with Article 14 before the information and consultation of the public. The active involvement of interested parties (so-called stakeholders) should be encouraged.