EU SPECIFIC WATER LEGISLATIONS

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A - Urban wastewater treatment and nitrates from agricultural source
2 - Directive 91/676/EEC concerning the protection of waters against pollution caused by nitrates from agricultural sources

 

In the 2021 report on the implementation of Directive 91/676/EE, the European Commission underlines that “livestock is responsible for an estimated 81% of agricultural nitrogen input to aquatic systemsClick here for more information!. It also mentions that the “highest livestock densities, expressed in livestock unit per hectare, were found in the Netherlands with an increasing trend since 2013, Malta with a decreasing trend since 2013 and Belgium for which it remains stable since 2005”. In Belgium, Cyprus, Luxembourg and the Netherlands, the nutrient balances were higher than 100 kg/ha for the period 2016-2019. During this same period, “14.1% of groundwater stations still exceeded an annual average 50 mg nitrates per litre, a situation comparable to the previous reporting period”. As a reminder, nitrates and phosphorus in surface waters lead to eutrophication. The Commission states that “at EU level, 36% of rivers, 32% of lakes, 31% of coastal and 32% of transitional water and 81% of marine waters were reported as eutrophic”. The Commission regrets that 13 Member States did not provide information concerning the contribution of agriculture to nitrogen discharge in the aquatic environment. Click here for more information!.The Commission regrets that 13 Member States did not provide information concerning the contribution of agriculture to nitrogen discharge in the aquatic environment.

Directive 91/676/EEC complements Directive 91/271/EEC with respect to the discharge of certain pollutants from agricultural sources. It has the objective of reducing water pollution caused or induced by nitrates from agricultural sources and preventing further such pollution (Art. 1). To this end, it combines both approaches of quality objectives and emission limit values by requiring more stringent measures where necessary in vulnerable zones to be designed for this purpose. Like the Urban Waste Directive, this directive contains rules of a technical nature. Therefore, the Member States “are under a particular duty, in order to satisfy fully the requirement of legal certainty, to ensure that their legislation intended to transpose that directive is clear and preciseClick here for more information!.