Directive 2008/32/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 11 March 2008 amending Directive 2000/60/EC establishing a framework for Community action in the field of water policy, as regards the implementing powers conferred on the Commission
Date: 2008-03-11
Institutions: Council of the European Union, European Parliament
Subjects: European Commission, environmental protection, groundwater, inland waterway, pollution control measures, powers of the institutions (EU), surface water, territorial waters

L 81/60

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

20.3.2008

DIRECTIVE 2008/32/EC OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL

of 11 March 2008

amending Directive 2000/60/EC establishing a framework for Community action in the field of
water policy, as regards the implementing powers conferred on the Commission

THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND THE COUNCIL OF THE
EUROPEAN UNION,

Article 251 of the Treaty which are already in force,
those instruments must be adjusted in accordance with
the applicable procedures.

Having regard to the Treaty
Community, and in particular Article 175(1) thereof,

establishing the European

Having regard to the proposal from the Commission,

Having regard to the opinion of the European Economic and
Social Committee (1),

After consulting the Committee of the Regions,

Acting in accordance with the procedure
Article 251 of the Treaty (2),

laid down in

Whereas:

(1)

(2)

(3)

Directive 2000/60/EC of the European Parliament and of
the Council (3) provides that certain measures are to be
adopted
Council Decision
1999/468/EC of 28 June 1999 laying down the
procedures for
implementing powers
the exercise of
conferred on the Commission (4).

accordance with

in

the

introduced

Decision 1999/468/EC has been amended by Decision
regulatory
2006/512/EC, which
procedure with scrutiny for the adoption of measures
of general scope and designed to amend non-essential
elements of a basic instrument adopted in accordance
with the procedure referred to in Article 251 of the
Treaty, inter alia, by deleting some of those elements or
by supplementing the instrument with new non-essential
elements.

the Council

In accordance with the statement by the European
the Commission (5)
Parliament,
concerning Decision 2006/512/EC,
for the regulatory
procedure with scrutiny to be applicable to instruments
adopted in accordance with the procedure referred to in

and

(1) OJ C 161, 13.7.2007, p. 45.
(2) Opinion of

the European Parliament of 11 July 2007 (not yet
published in the Official Journal) and Council Decision of 3 March
2008.

(3) OJ L 327, 22.12.2000, p. 1. Directive as amended by Decision
No 2455/2001/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council
(OJ L 331, 15.12.2001, p. 1).

(4) OJ L 184, 17.7.1999, p. 23. Decision as amended by Decision

2006/512/EC (OJ L 200, 22.7.2006, p. 11).

(5) OJ C 255, 21.10.2006, p. 1.

(4)

(5)

(6)

(7)

The Commission should be empowered to establish
technical specifications and standardised methods and
to adapt certain annexes. Since those measures are of
general scope and are designed to amend non-essential
elements of Directive 2000/60/EC, inter alia, by supple-
menting it with new non-essential elements, they must
be adopted in accordance with the regulatory procedure
with scrutiny provided for in Article 5a of Decision
1999/468/EC.

Since the Commission has established a register of sites
to form the intercalibration network referred to in
section 1.4.1 of Annex V to Directive 2000/60/EC by
means of Decision 2005/646/EC (6), it is appropriate to
delete the references to expired deadlines.

Directive 2000/60/EC should therefore be amended
accordingly.

Since the amendments made to Directive 2000/60/EC by
in nature and concern
this Directive are technical
they do not need to be
committee procedure only,
transposed by the Member States.
is therefore not
necessary to lay down provisions to that effect,

It

HAVE ADOPTED THIS DIRECTIVE:

Article 1

Amendments

Directive 2000/60/EC is hereby amended as follows:

1. Article 8(3) shall be replaced by the following:

‘3.
Technical specifications and standardised methods for
analysis and monitoring of water status shall be laid down.
Those measures, designed to amend non-essential elements
of this Directive by supplementing it, shall be adopted in
accordance with the regulatory procedure with scrutiny
referred to in Article 21(3).’;

(6) Commission Decision 2005/646/EC of 17 August 2005 on the
establishment of a register of sites to form the intercalibration
network in accordance with Directive 2000/60/EC (OJ L 243,
19.9.2005, p. 1).

20.3.2008

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

L 81/61

2. Article 20 shall be replaced by the following:

4. Section 1.4.1 of Annex V shall be amended as follows:

‘Article 20

(a) point (vii) shall be replaced by the following:

Technical adaptations to the Directive

1.
Annexes I, III and section 1.3.6 of Annex V may be
adapted to scientific and technical progress taking account of
the periods for review and updating of
the river basin
management plans as referred to in Article 13. Those
measures, designed to amend non-essential elements of this
Directive, shall be adopted in accordance with the regulatory
procedure with scrutiny referred to in Article 21(3).

Where necessary, the Commission may adopt guidelines on
the implementation of Annexes II and V in accordance with
the regulatory procedure referred to in Article 21(2).

For the purpose of
including statistical and cartographic data,

transmission and processing of
2.
data,
technical
formats for the purpose of paragraph 1 may be adopted
in accordance with the regulatory procedure referred to in
Article 21(2).’;

3. Article 21 shall be replaced by the following:

‘Article 21

Committee procedure

1.

The Commission shall be assisted by a committee.

2. Where reference is made to this paragraph, Articles 5
and 7 of Decision 1999/468/EC shall apply, having regard to
the provisions of Article 8 thereof.

‘(vii) The Commission shall prepare a draft register of
sites to form the intercalibration network. The
final
established in
accordance with the regulatory procedure referred
to in Article 21(2).’;

register of

shall be

sites

(b) point (ix) shall be replaced by the following:

‘(ix) The results of the intercalibration exercise and the
values established for the Member State monitoring
system classifications in accordance with points (i)
to (viii) and designed to amend non-essential
this Directive by supplementing it,
elements of
shall be adopted in accordance with the regulatory
procedure with scrutiny referred to in Article 21(3)
and published within six months of the completion
of the intercalibration exercise.’

Article 2

Entry into force

This Directive shall enter into force on the day following its
publication in the Official Journal of the European Union.

Article 3

Addressees

This Directive is addressed to the Member States.

The period laid down in Article 5(6) of Decision
1999/468/EC shall be set at three months.

Done at Strasbourg, 11 March 2008.

reference

3. Where
paragraph,
is made
Article 5a(1) to (4) and Article 7 of Decision 1999/468/EC
shall apply, having regard to the provisions of Article 8
thereof.’;

this

to

For the European Parliament
The President

H.-G. PÖTTERING

For the Council
The President
J. LENARČIČ