| activities |
added |
-
- date
- 2003-09-19
- docs
-
- url
- http://eur-lex.europa.eu/smartapi/cgi/sga_doc?smartapi!celexplus!prod!DocNumber&lg=EN&type_doc=COMfinal&an_doc=2003&nu_doc=0550
- text
PURPOSE : to improve the quality of Europe's
groundwater.
PROPOSED ACT : Directive of the European parliament and of the
Council.
CONTENT : to recall, groundwater acts as a reservoir from which
good quality water can be abstracted for drinking and for use in
industry and agriculture. It is also important for maintaining
wetlands and river flows, acting as a buffer through dry periods.
In addition, groundwater provides base flow to surface water
systems, feeding surface water systems all through the year. Thus
groundwater quality has a direct impact on the quality of those
surface waters as well as that of associated aquatic and
terrestrial ecosystems.
As groundwater moves slowly through the ground, the impact of human
activities can last for a relatively long time. For these reasons,
it is necessary to focus on preventing pollution in the first
place.
Existing EU groundwater policy, that is Directive 80/68/EEC on the
protection of groundwater against pollution caused by certain
dangerous substances, has been aimed at protecting groundwater from
direct and indirect discharges of a number of pollutants. But this
Directive does not set any clear quality objectives nor does it
require comprehensive monitoring. As a result, there is not much
data available about the quality of groundwater in Europe. The
proposed Directive will change this situation.
In addition to the rules in Directive 80/68/EEC on the protection
of groundwater against pollution caused by certain dangerous
substances, groundwater protection is also a feature of the Water
Framework Directive 2000/60/EC (WFD), which is the basic
legislation for the protection of Europe's aquatic
environment.
Article 17 of the WFD requires that on the basis of a proposal from
the Commission, the European Parliament and the Council shall adopt
specific measures to prevent and control
groundwater pollution by defining common criteria on good chemical
status and on quality trends. This proposal for a Groundwater
Daughter Directive meets that requirement.
The proposal is accompanied by an Extended Impact Assessment
carried out in the first quarter of 2003. It should be noted that
the total quality assessment costs, the costs of the monitoring and
clean-up measures required by the river basin management plan, and
the administrative costs are already covered under the WFD.
The proposed Groundwater Daughter Directive provides clear
additional specifications, which should result in a more harmonised
approach to defining and monitoring groundwater status than the
existing WFD specifications.
- celexid
- CELEX:52003PC0550:EN
- type
- Legislative proposal published
- title
- COM(2003)0550
- body
- EC
- commission
-
- DG
- Environment
- Commissioner
- DIMAS Stavros
- type
- Legislative proposal
-
- date
- 2003-10-06
- docs
-
- type
- Document attached to the procedure
- title
- SEC(2003)1086
- body
- EC
- commission
-
- DG
- Environment
- Commissioner
- DIMAS Stavros
- type
- Document attached to the procedure
-
- date
- 2003-10-08
- body
- EP
- type
- Committee referral announced in Parliament, 1st reading/single reading
- committees
-
- body
- EP
- responsible
- False
- committee
- AGRI
- date
- 2004-09-02
- committee_full
- Agriculture and Rural Development
- rapporteur
-
- body
- EP
- responsible
- False
- committee
- AGRI
- date
- 2003-10-07
- committee_full
- Agriculture and Rural Development
- rapporteur
-
- body
- EP
- responsible
- True
- committee
- ENVI
- date
- 2004-07-27
- committee_full
- Environment, Public Health and Food Safety
- rapporteur
-
- group
- PPE-DE
- name
- KLASS Christa
-
- body
- EP
- responsible
- True
- committee
- ENVI
- date
- 2003-11-04
- committee_full
- Environment, Public Health, Consumer Policy
- rapporteur
-
- group
- PPE-DE
- name
- SCHLEICHER Ursula
-
- body
- EP
- responsible
- False
- committee
- ITRE
- date
- 2004-09-21
- committee_full
- Industry, Research and Energy
- rapporteur
-
- group
- PSE
- name
- PAASILINNA Reino
-
- body
- EP
- responsible
- False
- committee
- ITRE
- date
- 2003-10-20
- committee_full
- Industry, External Trade, Research, Energy
- rapporteur
-
- group
- PPE-DE
- name
- MATIKAINEN-KALLSTRÖM Marjo
-
- date
- 2004-02-11
- docs
-
- url
- http://coropinions.cor.europa.eu/coropiniondocument.aspx?language=EN&docnr=0240&year=2003
- type
- Committee of the Regions: opinion
- title
- CDR0240/2003
-
- url
- http://eur-lex.europa.eu/JOHtml.do?uri=OJ:C:2004:109:SOM:EN:HTML
- type
- Committee of the Regions: opinion
- title
- OJ C 109 30.04.2004, p. 0029-0032
- body
- type
- Committee of the Regions: opinion
-
- date
- 2004-03-31
- docs
-
- url
- http://eescopinions.eesc.europa.eu/eescopiniondocument.aspx?language=EN&docnr=0050&year=2004
- type
- Economic and Social Committee: opinion, report
- title
- CES0050/2004
-
- url
- http://eur-lex.europa.eu/JOHtml.do?uri=OJ:C:2004:112:SOM:EN:HTML
- type
- Economic and Social Committee: opinion, report
- title
- OJ C 112 30.04.2004, p. 0040-0043
-
- url
- http://eescopinions.eesc.europa.eu/eescopiniondocument.aspx?language=EN&docnr=0509&year=2004
- type
- Economic and Social Committee: opinion, report
- title
- CES0509/2004
- body
- ESOC
- type
- Economic and Social Committee: opinion, report
-
- date
- 2004-09-16
- body
- EP
- type
- Committee referral announced in Parliament, 1st reading/single reading
- committees
-
- body
- EP
- responsible
- False
- committee
- AGRI
- date
- 2004-09-02
- committee_full
- Agriculture and Rural Development
- rapporteur
-
- body
- EP
- responsible
- False
- committee
- AGRI
- date
- 2003-10-07
- committee_full
- Agriculture and Rural Development
- rapporteur
-
- body
- EP
- responsible
- True
- committee
- ENVI
- date
- 2004-07-27
- committee_full
- Environment, Public Health and Food Safety
- rapporteur
-
- group
- PPE-DE
- name
- KLASS Christa
-
- body
- EP
- responsible
- True
- committee
- ENVI
- date
- 2003-11-04
- committee_full
- Environment, Public Health, Consumer Policy
- rapporteur
-
- group
- PPE-DE
- name
- SCHLEICHER Ursula
-
- body
- EP
- responsible
- False
- committee
- ITRE
- date
- 2004-09-21
- committee_full
- Industry, Research and Energy
- rapporteur
-
- group
- PSE
- name
- PAASILINNA Reino
-
- body
- EP
- responsible
- False
- committee
- ITRE
- date
- 2003-10-20
- committee_full
- Industry, External Trade, Research, Energy
- rapporteur
-
- group
- PPE-DE
- name
- MATIKAINEN-KALLSTRÖM Marjo
-
- date
- 2004-10-29
- docs
-
- type
- Committee draft report
- title
- PE349.868
- body
- EP
- type
- Committee draft report
-
- date
- 2004-12-20
- body
- CSL
- type
- Council Meeting
- council
- Environment
- meeting_id
- Prés
-
- date
- 2005-03-16
- text
- body
- EP
- committees
-
- body
- EP
- responsible
- False
- committee
- AGRI
- date
- 2004-09-02
- committee_full
- Agriculture and Rural Development
- rapporteur
-
- body
- EP
- responsible
- False
- committee
- AGRI
- date
- 2003-10-07
- committee_full
- Agriculture and Rural Development
- rapporteur
-
- body
- EP
- responsible
- True
- committee
- ENVI
- date
- 2004-07-27
- committee_full
- Environment, Public Health and Food Safety
- rapporteur
-
- group
- PPE-DE
- name
- KLASS Christa
-
- body
- EP
- responsible
- True
- committee
- ENVI
- date
- 2003-11-04
- committee_full
- Environment, Public Health, Consumer Policy
- rapporteur
-
- group
- PPE-DE
- name
- SCHLEICHER Ursula
-
- body
- EP
- responsible
- False
- committee
- ITRE
- date
- 2004-09-21
- committee_full
- Industry, Research and Energy
- rapporteur
-
- group
- PSE
- name
- PAASILINNA Reino
-
- body
- EP
- responsible
- False
- committee
- ITRE
- date
- 2003-10-20
- committee_full
- Industry, External Trade, Research, Energy
- rapporteur
-
- group
- PPE-DE
- name
- MATIKAINEN-KALLSTRÖM Marjo
- type
- Vote in committee, 1st reading/single reading
-
- date
- 2005-03-21
- docs
-
- url
- http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?type=REPORT&mode=XML&reference=A6-2005-0061&language=EN
- type
- Committee report tabled for plenary, 1st reading/single reading
- title
- A6-0061/2005
- body
- EP
- committees
-
- body
- EP
- responsible
- False
- committee
- AGRI
- date
- 2004-09-02
- committee_full
- Agriculture and Rural Development
- rapporteur
-
- body
- EP
- responsible
- False
- committee
- AGRI
- date
- 2003-10-07
- committee_full
- Agriculture and Rural Development
- rapporteur
-
- body
- EP
- responsible
- True
- committee
- ENVI
- date
- 2004-07-27
- committee_full
- Environment, Public Health and Food Safety
- rapporteur
-
- group
- PPE-DE
- name
- KLASS Christa
-
- body
- EP
- responsible
- True
- committee
- ENVI
- date
- 2003-11-04
- committee_full
- Environment, Public Health, Consumer Policy
- rapporteur
-
- group
- PPE-DE
- name
- SCHLEICHER Ursula
-
- body
- EP
- responsible
- False
- committee
- ITRE
- date
- 2004-09-21
- committee_full
- Industry, Research and Energy
- rapporteur
-
- group
- PSE
- name
- PAASILINNA Reino
-
- body
- EP
- responsible
- False
- committee
- ITRE
- date
- 2003-10-20
- committee_full
- Industry, External Trade, Research, Energy
- rapporteur
-
- group
- PPE-DE
- name
- MATIKAINEN-KALLSTRÖM Marjo
- type
- Committee report tabled for plenary, 1st reading/single reading
-
- date
- 2005-04-28
- docs
-
- url
- http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?type=TA&language=EN&reference=P6-TA-2005-0145
- text
The European Parliament adopted a resolution drafted by Christa KLASS
(EPP-ED,DE) thereby following the
approach favoured by the European Commission and the environment
committee. (Please see the summary of 16/03/2005.) The rapporteur's draft was adopted
largely unchanged and established that it will be for Member States to establish lists of potential
pollutants and fix acceptable thresholds. There are already specific directives on certain
sources of potential pollution - nitrates, pesticides and
bio-pesticides - which fix common rules for the whole of the Union
(50mg / l pour nitrates, 0, 1 g / l pour ingredients containing
pesticides). The new text includes these two common rules but
leaves it to Member States to decide on the list of other potential
pollutants and fix the corresponding thresholds. The reason given
for this decentralised approach lies in the fact that the chemical
composition of groundwater can vary from one region to another. In
addition, the available data and scientific knowledge in this area
are not sufficient to establish absolute rules, valid in the whole
of the Union.
The text adopted by Parliament stated that Member
States should establish groundwater quality standards rather than
threshold values, and notify these lists to the Commission by June
22, 2006. The Commission will review the whole list of groundwater
quality standards after three years, and then every six years,
submit proposals deemed necessary for a directive amending the
list. The Commission will nevertheless have the option of approving
or rejecting the measurement methods proposed by the
Member States. Each Member
State must submit to the Commission a complete description of
measurement methods for each of the substances for which a
Community-wide or national groundwater quality standard has been
set. The Commission will determine whether the measurement methods
are fully comparable and whether differences between methods may
lead to distortions likely to cause faulty or unequal application
of the Directive. Local climate conditions and soil types will be
the decisive factors. If the Commission rejects the measurement
methods submitted by a Member State, that Member State will submit
revised measurement methods for approval by the
Commission.
The following should be noted:
- an additional purpose of the directive is to
establish new criteria for the assessment
of the effects which any significant reduction in aquifers' water
reserves will have on the environment and on sustainable
development, pursuant to Directive 2000/60/EC;
- a new paragraph states that the Directive, which is
a further development of Directive 2000/60/EC, presupposes that the
Member States and authorities responsible for the sustainable
management of water resources will take all necessary measures to
characterise and review the state of underground water bodies.
These measures, set out in Annexes II (2), IV and V of Directive
2000/60/EC, include identifying the location and boundaries of the
groundwater bodies, and their geological and hydrological
characteristics, capacity for recharge and recuperation, catchment
areas, abstraction points and risks of overexploitation and
pollution;
- the definition of 'groundwater quality
standards' is amended to mean concentration values for a
particular pollutant, a group of pollutants or an
indicator in groundwater which should not be
exceeded;
- there is a new definition of 'indirect discharges to
groundwater';
- new terms are defined, including 'input of
pollutants to groundwater', 'deterioration' and 'background
concentration', 'historical contaminated sites' and 'baseline
concentration' of a substance in a groundwater body;
- where the natural geogenically determined levels of
pollutants in a body of groundwater or a group of groundwater
bodies is above the value of the groundwater quality standard laid
down in Annex I or an additional national groundwater quality
standard derived from Annex II, the natural contents plus the
prescribed groundwater quality standards will define the point of
transition from good to poor status;
- the groundwater quality standards applicable to good
chemical status shall be based on the human and eco-toxicological
criteria underpinning the definition of pollution in Article 2(33)
of Directive 2000/60/EC;
- compliance with the standards must be based on a
comparison with the arithmetic means of the monitoring values at
each of the monitoring points in the body or group of bodies of
groundwater characterised as being at risk pursuant to the analysis
to be carried out under Article 5 of Directive 2000/60/EC.
Measurements at individual monitoring points which are not
compliant with the standard will determine the classification only
where the monitoring point is, according to expert verification
pursuant to Annex I, representative of the pollution of the body of
groundwater or a part of it;
- in the case of sites suffering long-standing
pollution, the assessment of groundwater pollution will be carried
out by the competent authority after evaluating the risks to health
and the environment. The water pollution assessment will not be
taken into account for the evaluation of groundwater status. The
criteria for the assessment and rehabilitation of the site must be
included in the river basin management plan provided for in
Directive 2000/60/EC;
- Member States will classify a body of groundwater as
being of good chemical status when groundwater quality standards
are not exceeded at any monitoring points established in accordance
with Article 8 and Annex V of Directive 2000/60/EC for the purpose
of groundwater chemical status assessment. If a groundwater quality
standard is exceeded at a monitoring point, Member States shall
investigate whether the exceedance indicates certain prescribed
conditions, such as unsuitable drinking water. A groundwater body
is considered to be in poor chemical status only when the
investigation concludes that one or more of the conditions
apply;
- prevention measures are laid down and the Polluter
pays principle is stated;
- the Commission and the Member States will establish
a common methodology for defining protection areas for aquifers
which supply spas and medicinal water sources, with the aim of
ensuring that these areas are respected when industrial and urban
activities are planned.
- type
- Decision by Parliament, 1st reading/single reading
- title
- T6-0145/2005
-
- url
- http://eur-lex.europa.eu/JOHtml.do?uri=OJ:C:2006:045E:SOM:EN:HTML
- type
- Text adopted by Parliament, 1st reading/single reading
- title
- OJ C 045 23.02.2006, p. 0015-0074 E
-
- url
- http://www.europarl.europa.eu/oeil/popups/sda.do?id=3972&l=en
- type
- Results of vote in Parliament
- title
- Results of vote in Parliament
- body
- EP
- type
- Text adopted by Parliament, 1st reading/single reading
-
- date
- 2005-04-28
- docs
-
- url
- http://www.europarl.europa.eu/oeil/spdoc.do?i=3972&j=0&l=en
- type
- Commission response to text adopted in plenary
- title
- SP(2005)2124
- body
- EC
- commission
-
- DG
- Environment
- Commissioner
- DIMAS Stavros
- type
- Commission response to text adopted in plenary
-
- date
- 2005-06-22
- docs
-
- url
- http://eur-lex.europa.eu/smartapi/cgi/sga_doc?smartapi!celexplus!prod!DocNumber&lg=EN&type_doc=COMfinal&an_doc=2005&nu_doc=0282
- text
The Commission finds that a large number of the
Parliament's amendments are acceptable in full, in principle or in
part, as they clarify and improve upon the Commission proposal,
particularly regarding the compliance regime related to the
groundwater good chemical status.
- type
- Modified legislative proposal published
- title
- COM(2005)0282
- body
- EC
- commission
-
- DG
- Environment
- Commissioner
- DIMAS Stavros
- type
- Modified legislative proposal
-
- date
- 2005-06-24
- body
- CSL
- type
- Council Meeting
- council
- Environment
- meeting_id
- 2670
-
- date
- 2005-12-05
- docs
-
- url
- http://register.consilium.europa.eu/servlet/driver?page=Result&lang=EN&typ=Advanced&cmsid=639&ff_COTE_DOCUMENT=15149%2F05&fc=REGAISEN&srm=25&md=100
- type
- Council statement on its position
- title
- 15149/2005
- body
- CSL
- type
- Council statement on its position
-
- body
- CSL
- meeting_id
- 2703
- docs
-
- url
- http://register.consilium.europa.eu/servlet/driver?page=Result&lang=EN&typ=Advanced&cmsid=639&ff_COTE_DOCUMENT=12062%2F05&fc=REGAISEN&srm=25&md=100
- text
According to the Council, the common position
adopted, by qualified majority, represents a balanced package of
measures that would contribute to the pursuit of the objectives of
Community environmental policy and would advance the protection of
groundwater against pollution, while ensuring compliance with the
groundwater-related requirements contained in Directive 2000/60/EC
and allowing for effective implementation by the Member States,
taking due account of specific hydro-geological circumstances at
national level.
The common position incorporates 54 out of the 89
amendments adopted by the European Parliament at first reading,
either verbatim, in part or in spirit. These improve or clarify the
text of the proposed Directive. In addition, the Council has incorporated key Parliamentary amendments
related to good groundwater chemical status compliance,
identification and reversal of pollution trends as well
as
exemptions linked to provisions to prevent or limit
pollutant inputs.
However, other amendments are not reflected in the
common position because the Council agreed that they were
unnecessary or unacceptable or, in several cases, because
provisions from the original Commission proposal were deleted or
thoroughly redrafted. This applies in particular to the annexes,
which the Council aimed to simplify and clarify as much as possible
so as to ensure effective implementation.
The Council partly accepted a Parliamentary amendment
which was actually rejected by the Commission. This amendment made a reference to 'environmentally'
significant increases of concentrations of pollutants in
groundwater. The Council changed the formulation which is now
clearer.
Parliamentary amendments rejected by the Commission
and the Council concerned repeating WFD provisions, e.g. concerning
groundwater used as drinking water, groundwater quantitative
issues, references to human or eco-toxicological criteria, or they
added new provisions on the management of historically contaminated
sites. Prevention measures and a provision on 'polluter pays
principle' were not retained, nor were specific provisions on spas
and medicinal water sources. Another amendment, which referred to
INSPIRE, was also not incorporated. Finally, research
recommendations were considered to be misplaced in the
directive.
The Council rejected the following Parliamentary
amendments accepted in full, in part or in principle by the
Commission : some of these amendments
concerned editorial changes such as the addition of the term
'chemical' to pollution throughout the text and 'resulting from the
impact of human activity' in Article 5. Others were more
substantial, e.g. incorporation of a new recital on
farming/forestry practices, new definitions on 'background
concentration' and 'baseline concentration' or reference to natural
geogenically determined levels of pollutants, which would be useful
and in line with the Common Position. The possible proposal for a
directive amending Annex I of the proposal was also not retained. A
new article on measurement methods was not incorporated. Finally, a
reference to measures and groundwater monitoring has not been
included in the common position.
Furthermore, the Council has made additional changes
to the common position:
-
a paragraph has been extended to include
a reference to the 'prevent or limit' provision of the WFD, and
incorporated as a separate paragraph;
-
a new definition of 'groundwater quality standard' has been
included, the 'threshold value' now being linked to this
definition. Former definitions have been slightly modified by
including a cross-reference to 'environmental risk' and changing
'indirect discharges' to 'input' (which covers both direct and
indirect introduction of pollutant into groundwater);
-
in the original proposal, Article 3 concerning compliance criteria
for good groundwater chemical status has now been changed by
consolidating criteria for assessing groundwater chemical status in
Article 3, namely 'groundwater quality standards' and 'threshold
values', and including requirements on the establishment of the
latter with additional provisions on trans-boundary groundwater
bodies. The date at which threshold values should be reported has
also been changed to 2008 from 2006 as proposed by the Commission.
Restructuring this Article had the logical consequence that all
elements related to compliance are now incorporated in
Article 4, including provisions that were originally included in
Annex I, and providing flexibility to the 'one out all out
principle' (one point exceeding the standard classifying the
groundwater body as being in poor chemical status) with a
risk-based approach;
-
the spirit of Article 5 remains the same as in the original
proposal, but it now includes provisions that were imported from
the former Annex IV, thus making it more extensive. A new provision
has been included concerning the reasons for the definition of
starting points for trend reversal;
-
Article 6 has also been substantially extended, covering provisions
to 'prevent or limit' inputs of pollutants (instead of indirect
discharges as in the original proposal). The pollutants whose input
is to be prevented or limited and the related measures are
clarified in Article 6(1). A new provision on diffuse sources is
included in Article 6(2). Finally, a series of exemptions, either
recalling WFD provisions, imported from the 80/68/EEC Directive, or
highlighting allowable water management practices, have been
incorporated in Article 6(3);
-
Article 7 has been slightly modified in that it now refers to 'any
new authorisation procedure' instead of 'prior investigation and
authorisations';
-
the core of the text of Article 9 is also unchanged, but the
implementation date has been modified to 24 months instead of 18
months;
-
the clarity of Annex I has been improved by changing the footnotes
into separate paragraphs which clarify the scope and applicability
of the groundwater quality standards. The comment in the right
column of the table concerning nitrates has been extended to all
activities falling within the scope of the Directive 91/676/EEC
instead of only referring to nitrate-vulnerable zones. Finally, the
value of 0.5 µg/l for 'total pesticides' has been included in
the table;
-
the sequence of Annexes II and III has been modified. Annex II,
part A, now concerns guidelines for the establishment of threshold
values (new text) Minimum lists of substances or ions related to
threshold values are included in part B, splitting the tables
(originally in Annex III) in three different categories, and
specifying that threshold values linked to saline concentrations
due to anthropogenic activities may be established either for
sulphate or chloride or for electrical conductivity. Part C of the
annex now includes the former Part B of Annex III with additional
details which improve the text;
- Annex III now concerns the assessment of groundwater
chemical status and extends the original text of the former Annex
II with details and cross-references to Article 4;
- lastly, Annex IV has been simplified in order to
provide general requirements rather than specifications, in
particular time series, which might not be applicable to all
groundwater situations in Europe. New requirements have been added
regarding monitoring frequencies and locations.
- type
- Council position published
- title
- 12062/1/2005
-
- url
- http://eur-lex.europa.eu/JOHtml.do?uri=OJ:C:2006:126E:SOM:EN:HTML
- type
- Council position
- title
- OJ C 126 30.05.2006, p. 0001-0015 E
- council
- Agriculture and Fisheries
- date
- 2006-01-23
- type
- Council Meeting
-
- date
- 2006-02-03
- docs
-
- url
- http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?type=COMPARL&mode=XML&language=EN&reference=PE367.996
- type
- Committee draft report
- title
- PE367.996
- body
- EP
- type
- Committee draft report
-
- date
- 2006-02-10
- docs
-
- url
- http://eur-lex.europa.eu/smartapi/cgi/sga_doc?smartapi!celexplus!prod!DocNumber&lg=EN&type_doc=COMfinal&an_doc=2006&nu_doc=0050
- text
In its amended proposal, the Commission accepted in
full, in part or in principle 67 of the 89 amendments adopted by
the European Parliament in its first reading. 54 amendments have
now been incorporated, either verbatim or in spirit, in the common
position.
The Commission accepted all the amendments which
sought to clarify the scope of the proposal, in particular those
regarding the compliance regime related to the groundwater good
chemical status. The Commission did not accept amendments which
repeated Water Framework Directive provisions and referred to
groundwater ecosystems.
The Council has incorporated key Parliamentary
amendments related to good groundwater chemical status compliance,
identification and reversal of pollution trends as well as
exemptions linked to provisions to prevent or limit pollutant
inputs.
The Commission considers that the common position
adopted by qualified majority does not in general alter the
approach or aims of the Proposal and can thus generally support it
as it stands.
- title
- COM(2006)0050
- type
- Commission communication on Council's position
- celexid
- CELEX:52006PC0050:EN
- body
- EC
- commission
-
- DG
- Environment
- Commissioner
- DIMAS Stavros
- type
- Commission communication on Council's position
-
- date
- 2006-02-16
- body
- EP
- type
- Committee referral announced in Parliament, 2nd reading
- committees
-
- body
- EP
- responsible
- True
- committee
- ENVI
- date
- 2004-07-27
- committee_full
- Environment, Public Health and Food Safety
- rapporteur
-
- group
- PPE-DE
- name
- KLASS Christa
-
- body
- EP
- responsible
- True
- committee
- ENVI
- date
- 2003-11-04
- committee_full
- Environment, Public Health, Consumer Policy
- rapporteur
-
- group
- PPE-DE
- name
- SCHLEICHER Ursula
-
- date
- 2006-04-25
- text
The committee adopted the report by
Christa KLASS (EPP-ED, DE) amending the Council's common position
under the 2nd reading of the codecision procedure. MEPs
reintroduced a number of amendments adopted by Parliament at 1st
reading which had not been taken up by the Council. These sought
inter alia to put greater emphasis on prevention. The main
amendments thus reinstated were as follows:
- the title of the proposal and articles
therein should make it clear that the aim is to prevent the
"deterioration" as well as the pollution of groundwater;
- where the rules on nitrates and pesticides
would require changes to farming practices, special aid to farmers
should be provided under the rural development plans of the common
agricultural policy;
- certain terms should be defined, given that
they are fundamental to the interpretation of the legislative text,
i.e. 'deterioration', 'background concentration', and 'the baseline
concentration';
- the groundwater quality standards applicable
to the good chemical status of groundwater should be based on the
human and eco-toxicological criteria underpinning the definition of
pollution in Article 2(33) of the 2000 Water Framework Directive
(WFD);
- as natural levels of pollutants, which
differ widely in Europe, cannot be taken into account when quality
standards are laid down, it must be made clear what should happen
if the natural levels ('background concentrations') already exceed
the quality standards. In such cases, the higher natural levels
should be regarded as the quality standard/threshold value;
- it should be made clear in the annex that
chloride and sulphate are not pollutants;
- given that classification of the body of
groundwater as having good or poor status on the basis of
measurements is a key feature of the directive, the provisions
governing classification must be absolutely clear. Measurements at
individual measurement points which do not comply with the standard
should be used to determine classification only where experts have
assessed that the measurement point is representative of the body
of groundwater, or at least a part of it;
- a revision clause should be introduced to
ensure that the list of groundwater quality standards and the
list of threshold values is reviewed at regular intervals and that
Parliament is involved in the legislation through codecision;
- provisions on measurement methods should be
introduced, giving the Commission the authority to approve national
methods to ensure that they are fully comparable;
- the Commission should promote new research
to improve the technologies available for the monitoring and
management of groundwater bodies and their quality, including with
regard to ecosystems;
- the Commission and the Member States should
establish a common methodology for defining protection areas for
aquifers which supply spas and medicinal water sources, to ensure
that these areas are respected when industrial and urban activities
are planned;
- the threshold value set in Directive
98/83/EC for the sum of pesticides and related substances (less
than 0,5 μg/l) should be included in this
directive as well in order to ensure proper protection of
groundwater.
Lastly, MEPs called for the directive to be
the subject of an overall efficiency assessment by 2015.
- body
- EP
- committees
-
- body
- EP
- responsible
- True
- committee
- ENVI
- date
- 2004-07-27
- committee_full
- Environment, Public Health and Food Safety
- rapporteur
-
- group
- PPE-DE
- name
- KLASS Christa
-
- body
- EP
- responsible
- True
- committee
- ENVI
- date
- 2003-11-04
- committee_full
- Environment, Public Health, Consumer Policy
- rapporteur
-
- group
- PPE-DE
- name
- SCHLEICHER Ursula
- type
- Vote in committee, 2nd reading
-
- date
- 2006-04-27
- docs
-
- url
- http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?type=REPORT&mode=XML&reference=A6-2006-0146&language=EN
- type
- Committee recommendation tabled for plenary, 2nd reading
- title
- A6-0146/2006
- body
- EP
- committees
-
- body
- EP
- responsible
- True
- committee
- ENVI
- date
- 2004-07-27
- committee_full
- Environment, Public Health and Food Safety
- rapporteur
-
- group
- PPE-DE
- name
- KLASS Christa
-
- body
- EP
- responsible
- True
- committee
- ENVI
- date
- 2003-11-04
- committee_full
- Environment, Public Health, Consumer Policy
- rapporteur
-
- group
- PPE-DE
- name
- SCHLEICHER Ursula
- type
- Committee recommendation tabled for plenary, 2nd reading
-
- date
- 2006-06-12
- body
- EP
- type
- Debate in Parliament
-
- date
- 2006-06-13
- docs
-
- url
- http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?type=TA&language=EN&reference=P6-TA-2006-0251
- text
The European Parliament adopted a resolution drafted
by Christa KLASS (EPP-ED, DE) and reintroduced a number of
amendments adopted by Parliament at first reading which had not
been taken up by the Council. Parliament's amendments sought to
improve sampling methodologies, tightening up the wording of the
legislation and closing loopholes to prevent the Directive being
undermined.
The principal amendments are as follows:
- the title of the proposal and articles therein
should make it clear that the aim is to prevent the "deterioration"
as well as the pollution of groundwater;
- a new recital states that the protection of
groundwater may in some areas require a change in farming or
forestry practices, which could entail a loss of income. This issue
should be addressed when the rural development plans under the
reformed common agricultural policy are drawn up;
- a new Article states that the Directive shall not
prevent individual Member States from maintaining or introducing
stricter protection measures;
- certain terms are defined, given that they are
fundamental to the interpretation of the legislative text,
i.e.'deterioration', 'background concentration', and 'the baseline
concentration'; "deterioration" is defined as "any slight,
anthropogenically induced and persistent increase in concentrations
of pollutants in relation to the status quo in the
groundwater";
- a new Article states that the groundwater quality
standards and threshold values applicable to good chemical status
shall be based on the human and ecotoxicological criteria
underpinning the definition of pollution in Article 2(33) of
Directive 2000/60/EC;
- as natural levels of pollutants, which differ widely
in Europe, cannot be taken into account when quality standards are
laid down, it must be made clear what should happen if the natural
levels ('background concentrations') already exceed the quality
standards. In such cases, the higher natural levels should be
regarded as the quality standard/threshold value;
- given that classification of the body of groundwater
as having good or poor status on the basis of measurements is a key
feature of the directive, the provisions governing classification
must be absolutely clear. Measurements at individual measurement
points which do not comply with the standard should be used to
determine classification only where experts have assessed that the
measurement point is representative of the body of groundwater, or
at least a part of it;
- chloride and sulphate are re-classified as
indicators which may occur both naturally and as a result of human
activities;
- a revision clause is introduced to ensure that the
list of groundwater quality standards and the list of
threshold values is reviewed five years after the entry into force
of the Directive and thereafter every six years, and Parliament
must be involved in the legislation through codecision;
- Substances which have been authorised under an EU
authorisation procedure on the basis of a risk assessment for
groundwater or compliance with a precautionary value for preserving
the purity of groundwater or which are currently undergoing such an
authorisation procedure shall not be classified as hazardous for
the purposes of this Directive ;
- Parliament has inserted a new Article on measurement
methods, giving the Commission the authority to approve national
methods to ensure that they are fully comparable and see whether
differences between methods may lead to distortions likely to cause
faulty or unequal application of the Directive in the Community.
Local climate conditions and soil types shall be the decisive
factors;
- a new Article on research and dissemination states
that the Commission, in agreement with the Member States, must
encourage the dissemination of known methods of measuring
parameters for the description and monitoring of aquifers and
promote new research to improve the technologies available for the
monitoring and management of groundwater bodies and their quality,
including with regard to groundwater ecosystems;
- the Commission and the Member States will establish
a common methodology for defining protection areas for aquifers
which supply spas and medicinal water sources, with the aim of
ensuring that these areas are respected when industrial and urban
activities are planned;
- the Council shall establish a common methodology for
cataloguing aquifers in preparation for the implementation of the
INSPIRE programme. (Please see COD/2004/0175). In this connection
the Member States shall begin to collect data as soon as this
Directive comes into force;
- the threshold value set in Directive 98/83/EC for
the sum of pesticides and related substances (less than 0,5
μg/l) should be included in this directive as well in order to
ensure proper protection of groundwater;
- the Commission's progress report must include an
evaluation of the functioning of this Directive in relation to
other relevant environmental directives, as well as in terms of
possible overlapping with other relevant environmental
directives.
Lastly, MEPs called for the directive to be the
subject of an overall efficiency assessment by 2015.
- type
- Decision by Parliament, 2nd reading
- title
- T6-0251/2006
-
- url
- http://www.europarl.europa.eu/oeil/popups/sda.do?id=4719&l=en
- type
- Results of vote in Parliament
- title
- Results of vote in Parliament
- body
- EP
- type
- Text adopted by Parliament, 2nd reading
-
- date
- 2006-06-13
- docs
-
- url
- http://www.europarl.europa.eu/oeil/spdoc.do?i=4719&j=0&l=en
- type
- Commission response to text adopted in plenary
- title
- SP(2006)3310
- body
- EC
- commission
-
- DG
- Environment
- Commissioner
- DIMAS Stavros
- type
- Commission response to text adopted in plenary
-
- date
- 2006-08-01
- docs
-
- url
- http://eur-lex.europa.eu/smartapi/cgi/sga_doc?smartapi!celexplus!prod!DocNumber&lg=EN&type_doc=COMfinal&an_doc=2006&nu_doc=0434
- text
Of the 41 amendments adopted by Parliament, the
Commission accepts 8 amendments in full, 6 in part and a further 12
in principle. Fifteen of the 41 amendments have been deemed
unacceptable by the Commission. In summary, the Commission's
position is as follows:
Amendments accepted in full
-
an amendment improving the consistency of the
text with the Water Framework Directive;
-
the introduction of a new recital requesting an
analysis of the impact of groundwater standards in the Member
States and its effect on environmental protection as well as the
internal market;
-
the deletion of references to the Nitrates
Directive
-
amendments which detail the types of pesticides
covered (which is in line with Directive 98/83/EC on relevant
metabolites, degradation and reaction products);
-
the introduction of a new provision concerning
the impact of pollutants on groundwater per se.
Amendments accepted in part
-
an amendment modifying a recital by adding a
reference to "deterioration" and specifying that protection should
relate to "chemical" pollution. The Commission has decided to
accept the addition of "chemical" but not to mention
"deterioration". This takes account of a new definition in Article
2(4) and its redundancy vis-à-vis the Water Framework
Directive;
-
an amendment indicating that groundwater is the
"primary sources" of drinking water. This has not been accepted
since it is not an accurate assessment;
-
an amendment introducing complementary
compliance criteria related to groundwater quality standards. This
later part has been accepted. However, the proposed elimination of
unfavourable monitoring results by "expert verification" has not
been accepted;
-
an amendment introducing a reference to the
"baseline concentration" has been accepted though the addition of
"prevent deterioration" has not been;
-
an amendment seeking to strengthen obligations
to prevent the input of hazardous substances. The Commission does
point out, however, that there are limitation to prevention
measures. Further, the second part has been deemed unacceptable
given that the Water Framework Directive already provides for a
clear definition of hazardous substances.
Amendments accepted in principle
-
the Commission accepts that there is a need to
mention, in a new recital, possible changes in farming and forestry
practices as a result of groundwater protection measures through
the implementation of rural development programmes under the
CAP;
-
the introduction of a new recital on criteria
and justifications regarding exemptions;
-
a new recital on research; this being in line
with Article 20 of the Water Framework Directive on scientific
progress;
-
a new recital on groundwater storage and
practice. This has been deemed acceptable subject to some
redrafting for the sake of consistency with the Water Framework
Directive;
-
a new definition on "background concentration"
and "baseline concentration" subject to "concentration" being
changed to "levels";
-
a future revision of groundwater quality
standards and threshold values provided that the revised timetable
is consistent with that of the timetables regulating the
Directive's implementation;
-
proposals on research dissemination have been
accepted provided that they be consolidated into a single
recital;
-
that, in principle, more stringent standards
will apply for pesticides in relation to drinking water.
Amendments not accepted
-
an amendment on the need to protect groundwater
so that good quality drinking water can be achieved by simple
purification;
-
an amendment stipulating that groundwater
quality standards must be based on human eco-toxicological criteria
since this is not consistent with the Water Framework
Directive;
-
the new definition of
"deterioration";
-
an amendment dealing with natural levels of
pollutants compared to threshold values since it contradicts the
principle of non-deterioration;
-
specific measures relating to spas or medicinal
water sources;
-
the creation of a catalogue of
aquifers;
-
an amendment requiring the Member States to set
a time by when they should initiate actions to reverse adverse
trends in pollution.
- title
- COM(2006)0434
- type
- Commission opinion on Parliament's position at 2nd reading
- celexid
- CELEX:52006PC0434:EN
- body
- EC
- commission
-
- DG
- Environment
- Commissioner
- DIMAS Stavros
- type
- Commission opinion on Parliament's position at 2nd reading
-
- body
- CSL
- meeting_id
- 2753
- text
The Council decided not to accept the European
Parliament's second reading amendments to a proposal for a
directive on the protection of groundwater against pollution. It
accordingly decided to convene the Parliament-Council conciliation
committee with a view to negotiating a joint text.
- council
- Economic and Financial Affairs ECOFIN
- date
- 2006-10-10
- type
- Council Meeting
-
- date
- 2006-10-17
- text
The Conciliation Committee reached agreement on a joint text for a
directive on the protection of groundwater against pollution and
deterioration. The main points of the compromise can be summarised
as follows:
- protection of groundwater against
deterioration: as Parliament had urged, this phrase would
be included in the title of the directive and among its objectives,
thereby extending the scope of the directive, and corresponding
references would be included in the relevant articles. However, as
part of the overall agreement, Parliament withdrew its amendment
introducing a definition of 'deterioration';
- nitrates: the EP delegation secured agreement
that the measures to achieve quality standards in respect of
nitrates should be consistent with the Water Framework Directive,
taken in conjunction with the new Groundwater Directive, rather
than the Nitrates Directive. In return, it accepted a compromise on
the part of the proposal which links trend-reversal measures to the
conditions laid down in the WFD and the Nitrates Directive;
- revision clause: at Parliament's insistence,
it was agreed that the Commission should periodically review the
Groundwater Directive, albeit every 6 years (rather than every 5
years as Parliament had demanded);
- comitology and codecision: the EP delegation
secured a broader role for Parliament in future decision-making,
e.g. if, as a result of the review, the Commission considers it
necessary to revise certain aspects of the Groundwater Directive,
that revision must be carried out under the new comitology
procedure (regulatory committee with scrutiny), which confers more
powers on Parliament. Specifically, the list of pollutants included
in the act may be extended (addition of new substances) by
comitology, but reduced (possible elimination of some substances)
only by codecision;
- inputs of hazardous substances: as Parliament
had demanded, it would now be a requirement, and not merely an
objective, that Member States should take all necessary measures to
prevent or restrict inputs of hazardous substances into
groundwater;
- compensation for farmers: as Parliament had
suggested, losses of income suffered by farmers as a result of
restrictions on farming practices designed to protect groundwater
could now be offset under the regulation on rural development (EC
No 1698/2005);
- more stringent national measures: a reference
to the Water Framework Directive was included in the recitals,
allowing Member States to establish safeguard zones concerning
water intended for human consumption. At Parliament's insistence,
such protected areas may cover the entire territory of a Member
State.
- body
- EP/CSL
- committees
-
- body
- EP
- responsible
- True
- committee
- CODE
- date
- 2006-06-13
- committee_full
- EP Delegation to Conciliation Committee
- rapporteur
-
- group
- PPE-DE
- name
- KLASS Christa
- type
- Formal meeting of Conciliation Committee
-
- date
- 2006-11-16
- docs
-
- type
- Draft report by Parliament delegation to the Conciliation Committee
- title
- PE380.817
- body
- EP
- committees
-
- body
- EP
- responsible
- True
- committee
- CODE
- date
- 2006-06-13
- committee_full
- EP Delegation to Conciliation Committee
- rapporteur
-
- group
- PPE-DE
- name
- KLASS Christa
- type
- Draft report by Parliament delegation to the Conciliation Committee
-
- date
- 2006-11-28
- body
- EP/CSL
- type
- Final decision by Conciliation Committee
- committees
-
- body
- EP
- responsible
- True
- committee
- CODE
- date
- 2006-06-13
- committee_full
- EP Delegation to Conciliation Committee
- rapporteur
-
- group
- PPE-DE
- name
- KLASS Christa
- docs
-
- url
- http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?type=JOINT-TEXT&mode=XML&reference=C6-2006-0382&language=EN
- type
- Joint text approved by Conciliation Committee co-chairs
- title
- 03658/2006
-
- date
- 2006-12-01
- docs
-
- url
- http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?type=REPORT&mode=XML&reference=A6-2006-0446&language=EN
- type
- Report tabled for plenary, 3rd reading
- title
- A6-0446/2006
- body
- EP
- type
- Report tabled for plenary by Parliament delegation to Conciliation Committee, 3rd reading
-
- date
- 2006-12-11
- body
- CSL
- type
- Council Meeting
- council
- Transport, Telecommunications and Energy
- meeting_id
- 2772
-
- date
- 2006-12-12
- body
- type
- Final act signed
-
- date
- 2006-12-12
- docs
-
- url
- http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?type=TA&language=EN&reference=P6-TA-2006-0543
- text
The European Parliament adopted a resolution approving
the joint text negotiated by the Conciliation Committee. (Please
refer to the summary dated 17/10/2006 for details of the joint
text.) The rapporteur was Christa KLASS (EPP-ED,
Germany.)
- type
- Decision by Parliament, 3rd reading
- title
- T6-0543/2006
-
- url
- http://www.europarl.europa.eu/oeil/popups/sda.do?id=13087&l=en
- type
- Results of vote in Parliament
- title
- Results of vote in Parliament
- body
- EP
- type
- Text adopted by Parliament, 3rd reading
-
- date
- 2006-12-27
- text
PURPOSE: to protect groundwater from pollution and
deterioration.
LEGISLATIVE ACT: Directive 2006/118/EC of the European
Parliament and of the Council on the protection of groundwater
against pollution and deterioration.
BACKGROUND: groundwater forms the largest body of
freshwater in the European Union and is a major source of public
drinking water. To that end the Community, in 2000, adopted
Directive 2000/60/EC on the general provisions for the
protection and conservation of groundwater. For a summary see
COD/1997/0067. Article 17 of that Directive provides for the
adoption of specific measures to prevent and control ground water
pollution.
CONTENT: the purpose of this Directive, therefore, is
to establish specific measures to prevent and control ground water
pollution. It intends to do so by:
-
setting the criteria for the assessment of good
groundwater chemical status;
-
setting the criteria for the identification and
reversal of significant and sustained upward trend;
-
defining a starting point for "trend
reversals".
The Directive complements the provisions set out in
Directive 2000/60/EC and seeks to prevent the deterioration of all
groundwater. The technical specifications are set out in four
Annexes attached to the Regulation, to which the Member States must
refer when assessing the state of their groundwater reserves. The
Annexes deal with:
Annex I: Groundwater
quality standards.
Annex II: Threshold
values for groundwater pollutants and indicators of
pollution.
Annex III: Assessment of
groundwater chemical status.
Annex IV: Identification
and reversal of significant and sustained upward trends.
ENTRY INTO FORCE: 16 January 2007.
TRANSPOSITION: 16 January 2009.
- type
- Final act published in Official Journal
- docs
-
- url
- http://eur-lex.europa.eu/smartapi/cgi/sga_doc?smartapi!celexplus!prod!CELEXnumdoc&lg=EN&numdoc=32006L0118
- title
- Directive 2006/118
-
- url
- http://eur-lex.europa.eu/JOHtml.do?uri=OJ:L:2006:372:SOM:EN:HTML
- title
- OJ L 372 27.12.2006, p. 0019-0031
|