Drinking water protection: coherence in EU law and policy
| Main authors: | Froukje Maria Platjouw, Harriet Moore, Susanne Wuijts, Sandra Boekhold, Susanne Klages, Isobel Wright, Morten Graversgaard and Gerard Velthof |
| FAIRWAYiS Editor: | Jane Brandt |
| Source document: | »Platjouw F. M. et al. (2021) Coherence in EU law and policy for the protection of drinking water resources. FAIRWAY Project Deliverable 6.1R 200 pp |
Many EU directives and policies are directly or indirectly relevant for the protection of drinking water resources from agricultural practices. Each of these instruments has its own objectives and requirements.
»Background
In this section of FAIRWAYiS we review relevant EU directives and policies, identify legal requirements, and assess their degree of (vertical) coherence with the overall objective of the FAIRWAY project, i.e. the protection of drinking water resources against pollution caused by pesticides and nitrates from agriculture in the EU.
We also assess the degree of (horizontal) coherence amongst the five core EU directives, to identify any potential negative interactions between directives.
»Coherence assessment methodology
The legal directives and policies reviewed are:
»Water Framework Directive,
»Groundwater Directive,
»Drinking Water Directive,
»Sustainable Use of Pesticides Directive,
»Nitrates Directive,
»Industrial Emissions Directive,
»Environmental Impacts Assessment Directive,
»Habitats Directive,
»EU Common Agricultural Policy,
»Rural Development Regulation (CAP Pillar II)
We conclude by asking if the overal legal framework fit for purpose and find that several themes recur in both the vertical and horizontal coherence assessments which warrant further investigation.
»Conclusions: is the overall legal framework fit for purpose?