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

Nov 2012 Blueprint To Safeguard EU Waters WFD River Basin Management Plans Climate Change Vulnerability & Adaptatio n Review Water Scarcity & Drought s Strategy 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 Water accounts; Overview assessment water resource risks; methodologies

2012 EEA reports 1.Towards efficient use of water resources in Europe 2.Status of Freshwater ecosystems and Biodiversity 3.Vulnerability 4.Synthesis Towards the 2012 “Blueprint to safeguard Europe’s water resources” WFD assessment Water accounts

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

Tech. Reps. Structuring 2012 thematic assessments 5 Efficiency Baseline status Vulnerability incl. Water accounts HYMOECOSTAT EEA-reports Synthesis Other EEA reports

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

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

European overview of Ecological status % of water bodies in less than good status per RBD

European overview of Ecological status

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

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

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 Pollution from diffuse and point sources are still affecting many European surface waters

Eionet workshop March 2012 Author: Anne Lyche Solheim, NIVA, ETC-ICM European overview of HyMo pressures

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

Main pressures and impacts in rivers and lakes Rivers Lakes

Rivers ecological status and pollution pressures

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

Lakes ecological status and pollution pressures

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

Rivers ecological status and pressures relations to population density and arable land Population densityArable land

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 pressures are diffuse pollution causing nutrient enrichment, and hydromorphological pressures causing altered habitats.

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)

Boundaries of sustainability for competing water uses

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

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

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

Water governance towards 2020 Knowing hydrological Reality Water accounts; water resource management Challenges CC; interdependencies systemic risks 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

Four challenges for Europe’s Waters Overuse of fertilisers and diffuse pollution of surface and groundwater Water use for irrigation Drainage and affects of small water bodies and wetlands Barriers, transverse structures changes for water abstraction, flow and water level regulation Dredging for navigation, and abstraction of e.g. gravel. 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

Thank you for you attention