Status of Europe’s Water and Challenges for Water Policy Beate Werner & Peter Kristensen

1. Status of Europe’s Water and Challenges for Water Policy Beate Werner & Peter Kristensen European Environment Agency June 4th, 2012

2. 2012 Blueprint to safeguard EU Waters: EEA support - status assessments and water accounts Outlook of sustainability and vulnerability of EU water resources « Fitness Check» EU water policy Policy Options - Land-use - Ressource efficiency - Economic Instruments Gouvernance -Knowledge Base EEA role Art. 18 thematic assessments - status, efficiency, vulnarability Nov 2012 Blueprint To Safeguard EU Waters WFD River Basin Management Plans Review Water Scarcity & Droughts Strategy Water accounts; Overview assessment water resource risks; methodologies Climate Change Vulnerability & Adaptation

3. 2012 EEA reports • Towards efficient use of water resources in Europe • Status of Freshwaterecosystems and Biodiversity • Vulnerability • Synthesis 2012 2009 WFD assessment Water accounts 2010 Towards the 2012 “Blueprint to safeguard Europe’s water resources”

4. Country review with Eionet and WFD community • Detailed Background documents by EEA/ETC: • Ecological Status • Hydromrphological status • Water Scarcity&Drought • Floods • Eionet Workshop • 29/30 March • commenting • Mid March to mid April

5. Structuring 2012 thematic assessments Synthesis EEA-reports  Baselinestatus Vulnerabilityincl. Water accounts Efficiency Other EEA reports Tech. Reps. ECOSTAT HYMO

6. Coordination EEA thematic assessments and Blueprint EIONET-review & WS Drought Forum CY Inf. CouncilCY BP + ImpA EU H2O 6th WWF Policy options Impact assessment IA - consultation Status RE Rep Vul. Rep Synthesis Jan. March June Nov. Hymo, Ecostatas technical reports on the web with web announcement RE, Vul and Synas full EEA reports printed and launched;

7. 104 000 river water bodies (1.2 million km of rivers – average WB length 11.3 km) • 19 000 lake water bodies (two-thirds in Sweden and Finland) • 1000 transitional and 2950 coastal water bodies State of Europe’s Waters River Basin Management Plans WISE-WFD database European results Maps Country comparisons 26 Member States (- Slovenia) 156 River Basin Districts

8. European overview of Ecological status% of water bodies in less than good status per RBD Rivers and lakes Transitional and coastal

9. European overview of Ecological status

10. European overview of pollution pressures pressures Eionet workshop 29-30 March 2012 Author: Anne Lyche Solheim, NIVA, ETC-ICM

11. Nitrate concen-tration per RBD Application of fertiliser and Manure, source JRC

12. Pollution from diffuse and point sources are still affecting many European surface waters • Downward trends in water quality due to improved urban and industrial wastewater! Although these trends have levelled in recent years. •  UWWTD needs still full implementation

13. European overviewofHyMopressures Eionet workshop 29-30 March 2012 Author: Anne Lyche Solheim, NIVA, ETC-ICM

14. Hydromorphological pressures are causing altered habitats and affecting the ecological status. Barriers and transverse structures Dredging for navigation Morphological changes Abstraction and flow regulation and water level regulation

15. Main pressures and impacts in rivers and lakes Rivers Lakes

16. Rivers ecological status and pollution pressures

17. Main pressures in rivers Point and diffuse pollution Hydromorphological pressures Eionet workshop 29-30 March 2012 Author: Anne Lyche Solheim, NIVA, ETC/ICM

18. Lakes ecological status and pollution pressures

19. Main pressures in lakes Point and diffuse pollution Hydromorphological pressures Eionet workshop 29-30 March 2012 Author: Anne Lyche Solheim, NIVA, ETC/ICM

20. Rivers ecological status and pressuresrelations to populationdensity and arable land Population density Arable land

21. Ecological status, pressures and impacts: • More than half of the surface water bodies in Europe are in less than good ecological status or potential. • Rivers and transitional waters are reported to have worse ecological status or potential and more pressures and impacts than water bodies in lakes and coastal waters. • The main pressuresare diffuse pollution causing nutrient enrichment, and hydromorphological pressures causing altered habitats.

22. Water accounts to assess water stress and vulnerability – EU level • Implementation of “Ecosystem accounting” at EU level, with special regards to water • Pilot adapted Water accounts module of the SEEA (UNSD international statistical standard) • at EU level • possible methodology for further guidance. • Adapting SEEAW (for regional / seasonal assessments) • Establish common spatial reference systems and related data sharing processes in SEIS (Shared Environmental Information System)

23. Boundaries of sustainability for competing water uses

24. 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. • Linking the economic and pricing information into the analysis • Applies to the physical catchments

25. WEI – with country data in development with WS&D EN

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

27. Water governance towards 2020 Challenges CC; interdependencies systemic risks Knowing hydrological Reality Water accounts; water resource management Tailormade measures based on Status and Pressure assessments, WFD implementation • Best comparable knowledgebase on RBD level • Integration quantity and quality • Sectoral policy integration • Participation/communication & transparancy

28. Four challenges for Europe’s Waters • Barriers, transverse structures • changes for water abstraction, flow and water level regulation • Dredging for navigation, and abstraction of e.g. gravel. • Overuse of fertilisers and diffuse pollution of surface and groundwater • Water use for irrigation • Drainage and affects of small water bodies and wetlands • Climate change challenges water quantity and quality • Water scarcity , droughts are increasingly forcing equitable resource allocation • Flood risks require rethinking of land management • Systemic challenges require integrated advanced policy solutions • Communication vital; and solutions to be found on River basin level

29. Thank you for you attention