WRITTEN QUESTION E-0141/02

by Eurig Wyn (Verts/ALE) to the Commission

(1 February 2002)

Subject: The 1976 EC Bathing Water Directive

There are millions of water users who use Europe's coastal and inland waters each year. Would the Commission agree that a number of changes to the legislation should be made in order that these water users get the protection they deserve?

Will the Commission ensure when Directive 76/160/EEC(1) is revised that the following will be taken into account?

Recent independent medical research has shown that there is an increased risk of gastro-intestinal illnesses when faecal streptococci levels exceed just 35 per 100 ml. However, levels of faecal streptococci have been found at 10 000 per 100 ml of water off the Anglesey (North Wales) coast.

Additional tertiary treatment processes using ultra violet light or microfiltration can reduce faecal bacteria to just 35 per 100 ml, a 285-fold improvement over the levels permissible under the mandatory standard and a near 60-fold improvement over the guideline standard.

Will the Commission therefore agree that present regulatory standards are woefully inadequate and the introduction of far stricter standards that oblige water companies to build all new treatment plants to full treatment standards is necessary?

The EC Bathing Water Directive states that in order to protect the environment and public health, it is necessary to reduce the pollution of bathing water and to protect such water against further deterioration. Does the Commission agree that present standards fail to do this?

(1) OJ L 31, 5.2.1976, p. 1.

Answer given by Mrs Wallström on behalf of the Commission

(18 March 2002)

The Commission agrees that the bathing water Directive(1) should be revised. Full reasons for this were explained in the Communication from the Commission to the Parliament and Council developing a new bathing water policy(2).

The Commission bases this revision upon epidemiological research done by the World Health Organisation (WHO)(3), confirmed by further epidemiological studies. The WHO report states how gastro-intestinal risk levels relate to concentrations of Intestinal Enterococci (Faecal Streptococci (FS)) in bathing water. According to the WHO, the value of 35 colony-forming units (cfu) faecal streptococci mentioned by the Honourable Member is below the NOAEL (no observed adverse effect level). The Commission agrees however that 10 000 cfu FS per 100 ml is a very high concentration and would be pleased to receive more detailed information on how and on which site this result was obtained.

The general water quality of inland and coastal waters is subject to the urban wastewater Directive (Council Directive 91/271/EEC of 21 May 1991 concerning urban waste-water treatment(4) as amended by Directive 98/15/EC of 27 February 1998(5)), the Nitrates Directive (Council Directive 91/676/EEC of 12 December 1991 concerning the protection of waters against pollution caused by nitrates from agricultural sources(6)), the Water Framework Directive (Directive 2000/60/EC of the Parliament and of the Council of 23 October 2000 establishing a framework for Community action in the field of water policy(7)) and the relating monitoring schemes. Following the urban wastewater Directive, secondary treatment is a rule, but Member States must provide higher standards in order to comply with all Council Directives. The new and revised bathing water Directive will, when adopted, oblige Member States to make their bathing waters comply with new parameters and thresholds.

Under the influence of the current directive, European bathing water quality has improved considerably. From 1993 up to the year 2000, coastal bathing water quality has increased every year, as the compliance rate has moved upwards from 74 % to almost 97 %. For freshwater zones, compliance rate has also increased every year, and has now reached 94 % (30 % only in 1993).

Taking into account public health, the revised directive aims at a further improvement of bathing water quality.

(1) Council Directive 76/160/EEC of 8 December 1975 concerning the quality of bathing water.

(2) COM(2000) 860 final.

(3) See http://www.who.int/water_sanitation_health/Recreational_water/wsh01-2.pdf.

(4) OJ L 135, 30.5.1991.

(5) OJ L 67, 7.3.1998.

(6) OJ L 375, 31.12.1991.

(7) OJ L 327, 22.12.2000.