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Implementation of the Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive, together with comparable non-EU legislation, has led to improvements in wastewater treatment across much of the continent. This has resulted in reduced point discharges of nutrients and organic pollution to freshwater bodies.
The Water Framework Directive, the single most important piece of legislation relating to the quality of Europe’s fresh and coastal waters, aims to attain good ecological and chemical status by 2015. For a number of freshwater bodies, substantial improvements will be required to meet this target.
A substantial proportion of Europe’s freshwaters are at risk of not achieving good status under the EU Water Framework Directive by 2015 (40 % of surface waters and 30 % of groundwaters, in 2004).
The quality of inland bathing waters – rivers and lakes – in the EU has improved significantly since 1990. In 2009, 89 % of inland bathing areas complied with mandatory values, while 71 % complied with the more stringent guide values.
Good water resource management is required to meet the needs of a resource efficient future, sustain human and economic development and maintain the essential functions of our water ecosystems. The solutions lie in more integrated and sustainable water management, integration of water aspects in sector policies (for example, the Common Agricultural Policy), improved accounting for water efficiency and the full implementation of the Water Framework Directive and other water policies.
Europe cannot endlessly increase its water supply, we must reduce demand. Policies are needed to encourage demand management. Demand measures could include the use of economic instruments; water loss controls; water-reuse and recycling; increased efficiency of domestic, agricultural and industrial water use; and water-saving campaigns supported by public education programmes.
Many European river basins and waters have been altered by such human activities as water abstraction, land drainage, and dams. These often lead to major adverse ecological effects and leave limited space for natural habitats. Because of these problems and poor water quality the aim of the Water Framework Directive to achieve good status by 2015 may not be met.
Policy has only recently begun to address the challenges of the growing use of resources. Most actions taken to date do not comprehensively address the upstream causes of growth, focusing instead on the downstream consequences. As yet, there are no broadly accepted and robust methods for measuring the impacts of resource use, and few concrete targets or indicators exist. Policies aimed at the prevention of waste remain weak.
The management of waste has improved, with many countries recycling and recovering more, but more efforts are needed if the EU is to become a 'recycling society'. Implementation of existing legislation remains crucial, especially on the illegal shipments of waste, illegal or sub-standard landfilling, and packaging and electric and electronic equipment waste management.
The overall trend in waste generation, including hazardous waste, is upwards. The 6th EAP objective of substantially reducing waste generation has neither been achieved nor is likely to be met in the coming decades unless production and consumption patterns are transformed.
Achieving significant reductions in the environmental pressures related to consumption will require sophisticated policy packages, including regulatory and voluntary instruments, providing sustainable infrastructure, technological support; consumer education and information; and green public procurement. Getting the prices right through ecological tax reform could provide the critical fiscal element of such policy packages. Information to consumers is unlikely on its own to result in significant changes to consumption patterns.
Instigating such changes and making more resource-efficient and environmentally sustainable consumption patterns mainstream is a significant challenge. It requires public authorities to put the framework conditions in place to enable business and consumers/citizens to act sustainably, and business and citizens need to take action by adopting more sustainable production and consumption patterns.
Sustainable use of the seas and the conservation of marine ecosystems through an ecosystem-based approach are being pursued through the Integrated Maritime Policy and its environmental pillar, the 2008 Marine Strategy Framework Directive, under which ‘good environmental status’ in European Seas is to be achieved in 2020. In addition, a reform of the EU Common Fisheries Policy has been proposed to achieve sustainable management of European and global fisheries.
Extending Natura2000 on land is a major success but progress in designating marine Natura2000 sites has been slow so far. Overall it is too early to judge the effectiveness of the management regimes that have been put in place. Success in achieving biodiversity goals also depends on action in sectoral policy areas, such as agriculture or energy, as they are a key influence on land use change and intensity within protected areas and in the wider countryside.
The EU policy objective of halting biodiversity loss by 2010 has thus not been achieved. The implementation of EU environmental legislation and policy has had positive effects, but progress is slow and threats have grown both within Europe and globally.
Protected areas, including Natura 2000 sites in EU Member States, now account for 22 % of the terrestrial area of EEA member countries.
Air pollution and climate change share common sources of emissions – primarily from fuel combustion in industry and households, transport and agriculture. A number of air pollutants contribute to changes in atmospheric radiative forcing. Many climate change mitigation policies are positive in terms of also improving air quality. Factoring air quality into decisions about how to reach climate change targets, and vice versa, results in policies with greater benefits to society.
Only 14 European countries expect to comply with national 2010 emission ceilings for four pollutants (NOx, NMVOC, SO2 and NH3) set under EU and international legislation. The ceiling for nitrogen oxides (NOx) remains by far the most difficult for many countries to meet – 12 countries estimate they will exceed the ceiling, in some cases significantly, by up to 50 %.
European air pollutant concentrations still frequently exceed limit values set by the EU Air Quality Directives. Many Member States have either not complied, or will not comply by the required target dates, with legally-binding air quality limits set for the protection of human health. Examples are the 2005 limit value for particulate matter (PM10) and the 2010 limit value for nitrogen dioxide (NO2). Exposures of agricultural crops and other vegetation to ground-level ozone (O3) also continue to exceed the EU’s long-term objectives.
Only 14 European countries expect to comply with all four pollutant-specific emission ceilings set under EU and international legislation for 2010.
For references, please go to https://www.eea.europa.eu/themes/reporting/dm or scan the QR code.
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