EU Water Framework Directive: Environnemental accounting and SEIS

1. EU Water Framework Directive:Environnemental accounting and SEIS State of the art (NB: adapted and completed from J McGlade presentation at the WWF, Marseille, 13 march 2012)

2. EU Water Framework Directive –monitoring progress • EEA supports the assessment of the Water Framework Directive by European Commission • Thematic assessments to inform “Blue Print 2012” prepared by EC • Detailed contextual spatially-explicit information to the reported “water bodies” • Harmonised integration of the “main rivers” and “main lakes” at EU level and beyond • Implementation of “Ecosystem accounting” at EU level, with special regards to water • Pilot the Water accounts module of the SEEA (UNSD international statistical standard) by blending the accounting approach with policy requirements • Re-analysis of the fundamental data backing the SEEAW (for regional / seasonal assessments) • Establish common spatial reference systems and related data sharing processes in SEIS (Shared Environmental Information System)

3. Accounting, policy support and data issues • The UN methodology (SEEAW) for accounting aims at measuring in a consistent way the natural resources (physical assets) in relation with economic activities (monetary assets): • However, the approach, based on aggregated national statistics, misses a specific water algebra: • Money and water can be spared • Money can be loaned, water cannot • Money can be transferred without physical device, water cannot • Sound water accounting is first and foremost driven by “where” and “when”, (sub-basin and monthly assessments ) whereas the basic method (country / year) prevents analysing the frequency and typology of issues • The improved EEA approach allows analysing the regional interdependencies and time-driven relationship s, to support EU policies.

4. Water accounts conceptual model • SEEAW concept : water balances in a strict accounting framework so to link the physical and economic worlds • The accounting spatial unit: ‘territory of reference’, made of ‘statistical units’ • Analysis carried out across the inland resource system (natural assets) and the economy • Exchanges between the different components: rain on soil that receives irrigation; rivers fill reservoirs used for abstraction and supply; etc. • Applies to the physical catchments

5. The EEA approach • EEA engaged in developing reference methods, implementing spatial systems and collecting data to carry out these accounts (as a side outcome of standardised water balances) • A reference system (Ecrins) , based on JRC’s research and Corine Land cover has been developed (now publicly available) • Climate data re-modelled to meet EEA’s needs, apportioned by elementary catchment for monthly aggregates (soon daily) • Lakes, dams and reservoirs identified, documented and integrated • River discharge - the validation variable - collected, integrated and processed monthly at river segment level. • A critical complement to both WFD and large scale SEIS data collection • Water uses still a complex challenge, not fully solved for the time being • Fully-fledged accounts by June and possibly complement some points during summer on time for EU Blueprint discussions

6. The operational data sets: natural assets • Climate data has been re-analysed as : • Soil water, a key element of all ecosystem accounts • Surface run-off, a key component of water accounts • River discharge has been processed, where data could be collected: • Productivity / quantity at sub-basin levels , a key components of the water accounts (surface run-off with the ground-water reserves from actual observations): the touchstone of water balance accuracy

7. Beyond the water accounts towards ecosystem services • Climate data has been re-analysed as : • Soil water, a key element of all ecosystem accounts: habitats, carbon balances • River discharge has been processed, where data could be collected: • Monthly average discharge per river segment: regime is essential support to aquatic ecosystems and key to “quality accounts” for resources

8. Beyond animation: indicators • River discharge can be analysed as specific discharge (l/s/km2 catchment) to make them comparable; • Water regime + productivity analyse as ecosystem risk. • Duration of low productivity analyse as scarcity / drought indicators

9. The operational datasets: water uses • Uses vs. resource e.g. Water Exploitation Index(WEI) poses some issues: • Average demand / average resource is an insufficient measurement • Different situations (even radically) scored with similar numeric al values • Typology of situations, except structural deficit cannot be identified • Categories of uses, as demanded by the SEEA are lumped • Water abstractions, uses and restitutions re-analysed : • Global statistics (volume per year / country) disaggregated by functional units (e.g. metropolis, small villages based on population density / water demands) • Significant water transfers systematically documented to meet SEEAW scheme • EEA revises WEI at sub-catchment and monthly level, allowing to analyse distribution of resource vs. demands and to derive functional typology

10. Water uses and towards regional – seasonal WEI • Water uses under reconstructing / apportioning under NACE. • Example: domestic demand Source: Pöyry from EEA data Reference Ecrins

11. Integration with Blueprint 2012 • Key policy developments responsive to typology of issues: • Structural water scarcity requires, e.g. transfers, desalination, changes in uses, etc. • Recurrent water scarcity (seasonal imbalance) requires storage, water saving, etc. • Episodic water scarcity may require interconnexions, specific regulatory measures, etc. • Database of information set up by the EEA contributes to these developments and policy interventions

12. Technical complexity and data issues: support from SEIS • Establishing a regular calculation process at sub-catchment demands quality data accessible from many sources –this what SEIS is all about • Current data collection processes still a challenges to this end: • Paradoxically, meteorological data not available 5 years ago is now fully populated! • River discharge, collected for centuries, still not obtainable in several countries - EEA collected and processed 70 million data i.e. 70% of the coverage needed • Reporting processes do not address volumes of water or data poorly organised –present coverage with “hard data” is below 10% of total volumes. • Data sharing thus the major challenge : the threat of climate change and the related information requirements might trigger better availability • EEA provides a critical, wide-ranging contribution based on free access and use for all communities of practice

13. Philippe Crouzet Oscar Gomez and Blaz Kurnik And Pöyry consultants Thanks for your attention

14. Soil water contents per month • Source: EEA computations from : • Soil data centre • Primary climatic:E-OBS : http://eca.knmi.nl/download/ensembles/ensembles.php • Reference: Ecrins (EEA) • NB: full Europe under processing

15. Soil run-off per month • Source: EEA computations from: • Soil data centre • Primary climatic:E-OBS : http://eca.knmi.nl/download/ensembles/ensembles.php • Reference: Ecrins (EEA) • NB: full Europe under processing

16. Monthly productivity at sub-catchment level • Source: Pöyry computations for DG Env • Discharge collected by EEA • Data organised by EEA (>70 million daily data) • Reference: Ecrins (EEA)

17. Monthly discharge at segment level (Zoom) • Source: Pöyry computations for DG Env • Discharge collected by EEA • Data organised by EEA (>70 million daily data) • Reference: Ecrins (EEA)