WRITTEN QUESTION E-1722/02

by Roberta Angelilli (UEN) to the Commission

(13 June 2002)

Subject: Conservation of rivers

It is important to conserve rivers, lakes and all watercourses. In Rome, for example, the Tiber, which is of great historic and environmental value to the city, is being neglected and has serious problems connected with water management, town planning and the environment, which in the last few decades have led to a serious level of pollution and general deterioration and prevent it from being enjoyed to the full by the population.

In view of all this, can the Commission say:

1. whether there are any programmes to safeguard and enhance the role of rivers;

2. whether steps can be taken in situations such as that affecting the river Tiber;

3. what its opinion is on the subject?

Answer given by Mrs Wallström on behalf of the Commission

(25 July 2002)

The Commission fully agrees with the Honourable Member on the importance of protecting the rivers of the Member States.

The Union has taken comprehensive steps to safeguard and improve the quality of these rivers:

- on the one hand by reducing pollution of rivers at the source, in particular from waste water discharges and from agriculture;

- on the other hand by expanding water protection to all waters, groundwaters, rivers, lakes and coastal waters, with an obligation to achieve for them by 2015 good quality (good status).

As regards reduction of water pollution at the source, the Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive(1) covers all settlements and areas of other activity except the small villages below 2000 inhabitants or the equivalent in waste water. It provides for the obligation to collect and treat waste water appropriately, the deadlines being staged end of 1998, end of 2000 and end of 2005 respectively, depending on the size of the discharge and the characteristics of the affected water. This legislation is, for pollution from agricultural sources, complemented by the Nitrates Directive(2).

The ambitious objective of achieving good status for all Community waters is set out in the new Water Framework Directive(3). It provides for a preparatory phase (analysis by 2004; setting up a monitoring system by 2006; developing with broad public participation management plans for each river basin to be finalised by 2009) and an action phase (implementation of the developed measures and achievement of good status by 2015).

The Commission is, in its role as Guardian of the EC Treaty, carefully monitoring implementation by Member States. On the implementation of the Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive, the Commission adopted on 21 November 2001 a report on the implementation of this Directive(4), also with a view to the situation in large cities: the city of Rome is served by a waste water treatment plant providing tertiary treatment. At present the Commission is scrutinising the second implementation phase, i.e. those measures due by the end of 2000. On the implementation of the Nitrates Directive, the Commission will in 2002 publish its second implementation report.

As for the new Water Framework Directive, the Commission is beyond its legal obligations under the EC Treaty cooperating in an unprecedented way with Member States, candidate countries, stakeholders and non-governmental organisations (NGOs). A common implementation strategy will provide for exchange of knowledge and information, and development of guidance documents as a basis for implementation. These activities will be complemented by seminars and workshop on the Water Framework Directive, inter alia at the end of June 2002 in Bologna (Italy).

At the same time the Commission will, where appropriate, take the necessary legal steps to ensure proper implementation of the above legislation ensuring protection of Community rivers and other waters.

(1) Council Directive 91/271/EEC of 21 May 1991 concerning urban waste water treatment, OJ L 135, 30.5.1991.

(2) Council Directive 91/676/EEC of 12 December 1991 concerning the protection of waters against pollution caused by nitrates from agricultural sources, OJ L 375, 31.12.1991.

(3) 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, OJ L 327, 22.12.2000.

(4) COM(2001) 685 final.