EU Framework Directive in The Field of Water Policy

The Directive 2000/60/EC on establishing the framework for the Union’s action regarding the policy on waters has been adopted by the European Union Parliament and the Council of Europe on October 23, 2000.

The Framework Directive in the Field of Water Policy was introduced on December 22, 2000.

The principal assumptions of the Framework Directive in the Field of Water Policy

The main objectives of the newly established European policy on waters set by the Framework Directive in the Field of Water Policy are the following:

• Comprehensive protection of all waters, i.e. protecting the waters by taking into consideration the natural interaction among them and by applying the principle of an integral management of water resources.
• To have all the waters in good status in 15 years after the Directive has been adopted
• Integral management of river basins, even beyond administrative and international borders
• "Combined Approach", related to the standards for borderline readings of accepted emissions on the part of the polluters
• Regular pricing
• Involvement of the public.

The Framework Directive in the Field of Water Policy consists of 26 legal articles and 11 annexes which specify and put its regulations into operation.

The strategy of the implementation of the Framework Directive in the Field of Water Policy

The strategy of the implementation of the Directive has been promoted in a special EU document: Common Strategy of the Implementation of the Water Framework Directive of May 2001.

The activities on the implementation so far have confirmed the justification of the assumptions in this document which is related to drawing up instructions at the level of international expert work groups. These instructions are grounds for the realization of the activities in EU member countries, as well as in the countries which are candidates to be accepted into the EU, and are being implemented by means of performing the activities on international river basins in non – member countries, too.