MENTIONED IN THE ANNEX TO THE DIRECTIVE , AS PROVIDED FOR IN ARTICLE 3 OF THE DIRECTIVE , NOR ARE THERE ANY PROVISIONS PRESCRIBING THE MEASURES NECESSARY TO ACHIEVE THE QUALITY LAID DOWN FOR BATHING WATER , AS PROVIDED FOR IN ARTICLE 4 ( 1 ). THE NETHERLANDS GOVERNMENT DID NOT DENY THAT FACT EITHER IN ITS OBSERVATIONS ON THE COMMISSION ' S REPLY OR DURING THE ORAL PROCEDURE AND IT HAS ADDUCED NO EVIDENCE FROM WHICH IT MIGHT BE INFERRED THAT SUCH PROVISIONS ALREADY EXIST IN THE NETHERLANDS .
11 THE NETHERLANDS GOVERNMENT REFERRED TO THE FACT THAT THE SUPERVISION OF THE QUALITY OF WATER IS CARRIED OUT IN THE NETHERLANDS WITHIN THE FRAMEWORK OF A DECENTRALIZED SYSTEM . THE REGIONAL AND LOCAL AUTHORITIES ARE DIRECTLY BOUND BY THE PROVISIONS OF THE DIRECTIVE AND THEY IMPLEMENT IT IN THE PRACTICAL MANAGEMENT OF WATER QUALITY , UNDER THE CONTROL OF THE NATIONAL AUTHORITIES .
12 IT IS TRUE THAT EACH MEMBER STATE IS FREE TO DELEGATE POWERS TO ITS DOMESTIC AUTHORITIES AS IT CONSIDERS FIT AND TO IMPLEMENT THE DIRECTIVE BY MEANS OF MEASURES ADOPTED BY REGIONAL OR LOCAL AUTHORITIES . THAT DOES NOT HOWEVER RELEASE IT FROM THE OBLIGATION TO GIVE EFFECT TO THE PROVISIONS OF THE DIRECTIVE BY MEANS OF NATIONAL PROVISIONS OF A BINDING NATURE . THE DIRECTIVE IN QUESTION , ADOPTED INTER ALIA PURSUANT TO ARTICLE 100 OF THE EEC TREATY , IS INTENDED TO APPROXIMATE THE APPLICABLE LAWS , REGULATIONS AND ADMINISTRATIVE PROVISIONS IN THE MEMBER STATES . MERE ADMINISTRATIVE PRACTICES , WHICH BY THEIR NATURE MAY BE ALTERED AT THE WHIM OF THE ADMINISTRATION , MAY NOT BE CONSIDERED AS CONSTITUTING THE PROPER FULFILMENT OF THE OBLIGATION DERIVING FROM THAT DIRECTIVE .
13 NONE OF THE MATTERS PUT FORWARD BY THE NETHERLANDS GOVERNMENT JUSTIFIES THE CONCLUSION THAT PROVISIONS OF A BINDING NATURE HAVE ACTUALLY BEEN ADOPTED EITHER BY THE NATIONAL AUTHORITIES OR BY REGIONAL OR LOCAL AUTHORITIES IN ORDER TO DETERMINE FOR ALL BATHING AREAS OR FOR EACH OF THEM THE VALUES APPLICABLE TO BATHING WATER FOR ALL THE PARAMETERS INDICATED IN THE ANNEX TO THE DIRECTIVE AND IN ORDER TO ENSURE THAT THE QUALITY OF BATHING CONFORMS WITH THE VALUES THUS DETERMINED . IN PARTICULAR , THE PROSPECTIVE MULTIENNIAL PROGRAMME TO WHICH THE NETHERLANDS GOVERNMENT REFERRED IN ITS CORRESPONDENCE WITH THE COMMISSION PRIOR TO THE COMMENCEMENT OF THESE PROCEEDINGS , AFFIRMING THAT THAT PROGRAMME ADOPTED THE RULES CONTAINED IN THE DIRECTIVE , CONSTITUTED , AT THAT TIME , NOTHING MORE THAN A SET OF GUIDELINES FOR THOSE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE SUPERVISION OF WATER QUALITY AND HAD NO LEGALLY BINDING FORCE . THAT PROGRAMME COULD NOT THEREFORE BE CONSIDERED AS SUFFICIENT FOR THE PURPOSE OF IMPLEMENTATION OF THE DIRECTIVE .
14 IN ITS OBSERVATIONS ON THE COMMISSION ' S REPLY TO THE QUESTIONS PUT BY THE COURT BEFORE THE ORAL PROCEDURE AND ALSO DURING THE ORAL PROCEDURE , THE NETHERLANDS GOVERNMENT AGAIN REFERRED TO AN AMENDMENT OF THE WET VERONTREINIGING OPPERVLAKTEWATEREN ( LAW RELATING