Rivers, lakes and coastal waters are vital natural resources, they provide drinking water, crucial habitats for many different types of wildlife, and are an important resource for industry and recreation. A significant proportion of them are environmentally damaged or under threat. Protecting and improving the environment is an important part of achieving sustainable development and is vital for the long term health, well being and prosperity of everyone. The new EU Water Framework Directive is a welcome and radical improvement on earlier, piecemeal EU water legislation. It expands the scope of water protection to all waters and sets out clear objectives that must be achieved by specified dates.

 

In October 2000 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' (EU Water Framework Directive or WFD) was adopted. The purpose of the Directive is to establish a framework for the protection of inland surface waters (rivers and lakes), transitional waters (estuaries), coastal waters and groundwater. It will ensure all aquatic ecosystems and, with regard to their water needs, terrestrial ecosystems and wetlands meet 'good status' by 2015. The Directive requires Member States to establish river basin districts and for each of these a river basin management plan. The Directive envisages a cyclical process where river basin management plans are prepared, implemented and reviewed every six years. There are four distinct elements to the river basin planning cycle: characterisation and assessment of impacts on river basin districts; environmental monitoring; the setting of environmental objectives; and the design and implementation of the programme of measures needed to achieve them.

 

The Directive entered into force in December 2000 and Member States are required to transpose it into national legislation by December 2003. The Directive has a series of implementation deadlines which stretch to December 2015 (the date by which environmental objectives must be met). In the UK, implementation of the Directive is being undertaken separately for England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland. In each country consultations have taken place on the respective legislative frameworks to transpose the Directive into national law.