1. Commission activities
WG Groundwater
11-12 April 2016, Amersfoort, NL
Elisa Vargas Amelin
DG Environment, Unit C1

2. CIS work programme

3. Prep-SCG 7 March, 2016
Exchange of information among WGs. Aim: informal exchange of updates, discuss links and synergies.
Watch list- WG Chemicals
Trend assessment and TVs- Data and Information Sharing
Quantitative issues- Ad hoc Task Group (ATG) on water reuse (aquifer recharge)
Environmental objectives – ATG art. 4.7.

4. SCG meeting 8-9 March
ATGs presented/ terms of reference (ToRs) discussed:
Article 4.7. Guidance (ToRs approved)
Hydromorphology (ToRs being reviewed)
Water reuse (ToRs being reviewed)
REFORM project: Restoring rivers for effective catchment Management.
Environmental implementation review (European semester): country specific reports with chapter on water (COM will ask MS for review).
Monitoring and reporting fitness check (50 pieces of legislation including those related to water). Completion by 2017.

5. Working Group Data and Information Sharing
Deadline for communicating RBMPs was 22 March 2016.
RBMPs reported through WISE by 14 MS.
Annex 0 submission (for MS to indicate if they are not able to report some required information and why) – 7 MS transmitted one or more Annex 0s.
Issues in Annex 0 are either related to data not collected in the way required or show gaps in implementation.
Reference document on indicators to communicate progress towards good status – adopted by WDs in Nov. 2015, will need to be reviewed once data available to assess feasibility of individual indicators (starting in Autumn 2016)
Links with all documents and tools needed for reporting:

6. Assessment of 2nd RBMPs and 1st FRMPs
Second RBMPs:
country specific assessments
assessment at EU level (overview)
First FRMPs:
International coordination in water resources and flood management
iRBD/iUoM specific assessments

7. Timeline
EC Implementation report for WFD and FD: legal obligation = End 2018, possibly earlier, as input to the review process
Support contract:
Coordination of works:
EEA: assessment of status and pressures
JRC: ecological status assessment, modelling of pressures
More info: b-8870-ebd849548df5/7a%20- %20AssessmentFRMP1%26%26RBMP2-SCG-March2016.pptx

8. Wastewater reuse
Guidance document 'Reuse in integrated water planning and management': June 2016 (to be endorsed by WDs)
Works on Minimum quality requirements for water reuse in irrigation and aquifer recharge. JRC to develop a technical proposal by end 2016.
Proposal for and EU legislation by mid-2017, provided IA is positive.
Water reuse in industrial activities: In the framework of the Industrial Emissions Directive (2010/75/EU) implementation
Best Available Techniques Reference Documents (BREFs) for relevant industrial sectors
Support to research and innovation (EIP, H2020, ERDF, Life…)

9. WG Chemicals – selected activities
Review of priority substances
Aim: Commission proposal beginning of 2018.
Process and timeline:
Monitoring- and modelling-based approaches: first results by mid-2016.
Short-listing of substances and EQS derivation: during 2016.
List of candidate priority substances with EQSs: beginning of 2017.
Impact assessment and internal Commission validation: during 2017.
Technical support/coordination from the JRC on the review of the priority substances list. Regular updates to the WG Chemicals.
Watch list
Monitoring on-going of substances on first list. Review of results/list in early 2017.
River Basin Specific Pollutants:
Contribution to assessment of ecological status - planned

10. Agriculture
Background: No CIS group under the current WP-issue raised from technical to more political level to overcome challenges. WD to engage with agri. Directors at MS level, within EC DG ENV/DG AGRI task force started, aiming to propose solutions by summer 2016
Timeline:
WDs meeting June Discuss questionnaire replies on good examples of joint agri/water work.
Workshop autumn 2016: potentially leading to a first joint WDs and Ag.Ds meeting.
EC Taskforce work in parallel (looking at compliance gaps and how these could be improved)
Questionnaire distributed by NL to WDs. Input from WG GW:
Good practices on GW abstractions controls
Protection measures for Drinking Water Protected Areas and safeguard zones (WFD arts. 6 and 7)

11. Economic study
Call for evidence: collect the relevant knowledge on economic issues relating to water (Jan-March 2016).
Call for tenders open in May-June: 18 months, €:
Importance of water for economic growth and job creation
Cost-benefit analysis for proper implementation of water acquis
Maximisation of water economic benefits

12. Drinking Water Directive (DWD)
Short-term: Amendment of Monitoring Annexes II/III.
COMM DIRECTIVE (EU) 2015/1787 of 6 October 2015
voluntary introduction of a risk-based approach
Long-term : evaluation of the DWD (roadmap June 2015), study
Next steps: evaluation report (study and short staff working document soon). In parallel: IA study.
Coherence & Relevance: WFD, GWD –protection of drinking water resources-. Could be improved to avoid non-compliance (water safety planning and risk assessment).
Joint seminar 21 January 2016

13. EIP Water
Initiative within the EU 2020 Innovation Union. EIP Water aims to identify, test, scale up, disseminate and stimulate the uptake of innovative solutions by the market and society for ten major water related challenges by 2020.
29 EIP Water Action Groups (Some linked to GW: e.g. AugMent AG124, COWAMA AG111, MAR AG128…).
Phase: Focus on delivery of impacts. Action Groups speed up and overcome barriers individually. Involvement of FP7 and H2020 projects.
Successful EIP Water Conference on 10 Feb in Leeuwarden (NL).
Leeuwarden Declaration: why and how to drive water innovation in Europe
Urban Water Agenda 2030
Side event on water reuse (link to aquifer recharge)

14. The European Investment Project Portal (EIPP)
Enables EU project promoters (public or private) to reach potential investors.
Provided and hosted by the COM.
To be launched in Spring 2016
Eligibility:
Total cost of EUR 10 Mil.
Fall under one/two areas (e.g. Resources & Environment)
To start within 3 yrs. of submission
Promoted by entity established in and EU MS
Compatible with all EU and national laws.

15. Upcoming meetings WG Floods 11-15 April, Vienna.
WG DIS, April, Brussels (TBC).
SCG 2-3 May, Brussels.
WG Chemicals meeting May, Brussels.
WDs meeting 9-10 June, Amsterdam.