WRITTEN QUESTION E-2461/02 by Christopher Huhne (ELDR) to the Commission. Untreated effluent.
Date: 2002-09-04
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: EU environmental policy, environmental monitoring, environmental statistics, pollution of waterways, waste management, wastewater, water protection

C 52 E/174

Official Journal of the European Union

EN

6.3.2003

Over the last five years, compliance figures for coastal and fresh water were as follows:

Member States as a whole (1)

Year

Total number
of bathing areas

C(I) (%) (2)

C(G) (%) (3)

Results from 1997 to 2001

Coastal zones

Freshwater zones

1997

1998

1999

2000

2001

1997

1998

1999

2000

2001

13 129

13 218

11 435

11 502

13 429

6 180

6 004

4 376

4 338

5 783

93,3

94,6

95,6

96,5

95,8

79,8

86,5

90,2

93,6

91,2

82,8

83,8

87,3

88,4

86,7

63,5

63,6

63,6

70,4

66,9

(1) Details of Member States included in the full report.
(2)
(3)

Percentage of bathing waters compliant to imperative values.
Percentage of bathing waters compliant to guide values.

The Commission refers to the report for more detailed figures and for a technical explanation of the
imperative and guide values.

(1) OJ L 31, 5.2.1976.
(2)
(3) http://www.europa.eu.int/water/cgi-bin/bw.pl and http://www.europa.eu.int/water/water-bathing/report/eu.html.

ISBN 92-894-3193-8, available from OPOCE.

(2003/C 52 E/192)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2461/02

by Christopher Huhne (ELDR) to the Commission

(4 September 2002)

Subject: Untreated effluent

Will the Commission estimate how much untreated effluent is discharged into the EU’s seas and rivers
based on the latest available data compared with five and ten years ago?

Answer given by Mrs Wallström on behalf of the Commission

(3 October 2002)

Information on untreated sewage effluents on European wide level, is, inter alia, currently evaluated by the
joint questionnaire 2002 of Eurostat and the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development
(OECD). This evaluation will allow estimating existing untreated sewage discharges, and also compare
recent data with data of ten or more years ago.

In addition, a Commission report on urban waste water treatment (cid:1) based on Council Directive 91/271/
EEC of 21 May 1991 concerning urban waste-water treatment (1) as amended by Commission Directive
98/15/EC of 27 February 1998 (2) (cid:1) is under preparation, which will give information on the present
treatment situation in comparison with former years taking also into account rough estimations on still
untreated effluents.

6.3.2003

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 52 E/175

The implementation of the Water Framework Directive (3) foresees an analysis of pressures and impacts of
human activity on the status of surface waters and groundwater by river basin until 2004. This exercise,
which has to be undertaken by the Member States, should give further information on still untreated
waste-water discharges in future.

In the framework of the marine conventions as Oslo-Paris Commission (Ospar), Helsinki Commission
(Helcom), and others no estimates are foreseen at present.

(1) OJ L 135, 30.5.1991, p. 40.
(2) OJ L 67, 3.7.1998, p. 29.
(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.

(2003/C 52 E/193)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2462/02

by Christopher Huhne (ELDR) to the Commission

(4 September 2002)

Subject: Maríne craft pollution

Will the Commission estimate the proportion of untreated effluent discharged into the EU’s seas and rivers
by boats and ships, and will it state whether it proposes any measures to reduce this amount?

Answer given by Mrs Wallström on behalf of the Commission

(9 October 2002)

The Commission would inform the Honourable Member that discharges of oil from seagoing ships, in
general, result from the deliberate washing of tanks or the flushing of bilge or ballast water. Several
international organisations are involved in preventing this type of marine pollution (e.g. Helsinki
Convention, Bonn Agreement and Barcelona Convention). Reliable estimates of the total amount of oil
information from airborne surveillance
discharged by seagoing ships are not available. However,
(coordinated by these organisations) clearly indicates that violations of existing regulations (i.e. Annex I
of the Maríne Pollution Control Convention (Marpol) 73/78 (1)) are frequent in all European seas, resulting
in the oiling of seabirds, shellfish, other organisms and the coastline. So far, there is no clear downward
trend.

In its Communication ‘Towards a strategy to protect and conserve the marine environment’,
Commission initiates action aimed at phasing out such illegal discharges by the earliest possible date.

the

Discharges of sewage from seagoing ships are covered by Annex IV of Marpol 73/78 (2). However, this
Annex has not yet entered into force due to insufficient ratifications. In the context of the Maríne Strategy,
the Commission will undertake to achieve a rapid entry into force of this Annex.

The main Community instrument relevant to these types of marine pollution is the Directive on port state
control and on port reception facilities (3). The provisions of this Directive cover a range of ships wastes
including oil and sewage. Furthermore, a Community framework was set up in 2000, inter alia, to support
Member States efforts in responding to deliberate marine pollution.