WRITTEN QUESTION E-2212/01 by Lord Inglewood (PPE-DE) to the Commission. Dangerous substance in bathing water.
Date: 2001-07-24
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: EU environmental policy, bathing water, dangerous substance, environmental law, water protection

C 81 E/132

Official Journal of the European Communities

EN

4.4.2002

(2002/C 81 E/156)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2212/01

by Lord Inglewood (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(24 July 2001)

Subject: Dangerous substance in bathing water

Why does Council Directive 76/160/EEC (1) concerning the quality of bathing water provide no mandatory
requirements with regard to substances such as dissolved oxygen, floating materials, ammonia, kjeldahl
nitrogen, pesticides, heavy metals, cyanides, nitrates and phosphates, unless those substances are believed
to be present as a result of a pollution incident?

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

Answer given by Mrs Wallstr(cid:246)m on behalf of the Commission

(8 October 2001)

Council Directive 76/160/EEC of 8 December 1975 concerning the quality of bathing water, is intended to
protect citizens from risks most normally associated with bathing, where exposure is through ingestion of
small quantities of water or through the skin. In these circumstances, the Commission does not believe
that, in the context of bathing water, nitrate or heavy metal pollution poses a risk to human health.
However, that does not mean that these other pollutants are not regulated.

Several of the parameters referred to in the question are dealt with in the context of other legislation such
as the Nitrate Directive (1) or Directive 76/464/EEC (2). Whereas the Nitrates Directive is still in force, the
directive on discharges of dangerous substances has been integrated in the new Water Framework
Directive (3). In this context, the identification of pressures and impacts, the programme of measures and a
comprehensive monitoring will be established with the objective of good chemical and biological status.

As the Council Directive 76/160/EEC dates from 1976 and therefore reflects the state of knowledge and
experience of the early 1970s, the Commission has started work on a revision of the Bathing Water
Directive. To this aim the Commission published in December 2000 a Communication on a New Bathing
Water Policy (4). A new directive will
introduce a better beach management, focus on bacteriological
quality of bathing waters, and will use dissolved oxygen, pH and/or transparency as (cid:145)rapid(cid:146) indicators.

(1) 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.

(2) Council Directive 76/464/EEC of 4 May 1976 on pollution caused by certain dangerous substances discharged into

the aquatic environment of the Community, OJ L 129, 18.5.1976.

(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(2000) 860 final.

(2002/C 81 E/157)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2213/01

by Brian Simpson (PSE) to the Commission

(24 July 2001)

Subject: Changes in the scope of licence categories in the Third EC Driving Licence Directive

Will the Commission(cid:146)s proposals for a Third EC Driving Licence Directive result in a narrowing of the C1
licence category or changes in the scope of other licence categories?