While EU Member States are making progress on sustainable water management, their progress is too slow to achieve the good status of all ground and surface waters by 2027 as required by the Water Framework Directive (WFD), according to the Commission’s sixth report on the implementation of EU water legislation, published on Wednesday 15 December.
The report shows progress in pollution control, water abstraction and water efficiency, but highlights a considerable gap that needs to be closed to fully meet the objectives of the Water Framework Directive.
Lack of adequate funding, but also delays and poor governance are the main obstacles to the rapid implementation of measures in the Member States.
“Drought and water stress cause €9 billion of damage every year, not counting damage to ecosystems and the services they provide. Only healthy rivers and lakes can help protect us against the rising challenges of droughts and floods”, commented Environment Commissioner Janez Lenarčič.
The report shows that at the mid-point of the 2016-2021 water management cycle, implementation of measures was on track in all Member States, with delays in some cases.
Half of the Member States have improved data collection and/or methodologies for the first flood risk assessment. The vast majority of Member States take into account the consequences of future flooding on human health, the environment, cultural heritage and economic activity.
See the report: https://bit.ly/3GQLUtt (Original version in French by Aminata Niang)