EU Member States have made little progress in reducing water pollution from nitrates over the past decade, according to a European Commission report published on Monday 11 October.
Based on data for the period 2016-2019, the report shows that 14.1% of EU groundwater still exceeded the nitrate concentration limit for drinking water set by the EU Nitrates Directive (91/676) adopted in 1991.
Excessive nitrates in water are harmful both to human health and to ecosystems, as they lead to oxygen depletion and eutrophication (enrichment of water with mineral salts, causing ecological imbalances).
According to the report, 81% of marine waters, 31% of coastal waters, 36% of rivers and 32% of lakes in the EU have been reported as eutrophic for the period 2016-2019.
As to the causes, the Commission points in particular to “excessive fertilisation” in many parts of the EU.
It also notes that, while the quality of national action programmes has improved overall, the measures in place are generally not sufficiently effective in controlling pollution in areas where agricultural pressure has increased.
Welcoming undeniable improvements in EU water quality as a result of the implementation of the Nitrates Directive over the past 30 years, EU Environment, Oceans and Fisheries Commissioner Virginijus Sinkevičius lamented that “however, the pace of change is not enough to prevent damage to human health and preserve fragile ecosystems”.
The Commission gave further assurances that it “will act to improve compliance with the Nitrates Directive”, which should contribute to the European Green Deal target of reducing nutrient losses by at least 50% by 2030.
See the report: https://bit.ly/2X4hXoM (Original version in French by Damien Genicot)