1. Environmental Objectives and Exemptions under the Water Framework Directive Water Directors’ meeting Slovenia June Marieke van Nood, Unit D.2, DG Environment, European Commission

2. Questions to WD on open points Request to WD
Outline
Copenhagen workshop
Discussion document
Agreements so far
Proposed further common grounds
Open points
Guidance on transparency
Questions to WD on open points
Request to WD
Notes for the Speaker:
More information on the Directive, the implementation process and also the guidance documents are available on the internet.

3. Copenhagen workshop

4. Requested by WD at Lisbon meeting 20 case studies presented by 6 MS
Copenhagen workshop
Requested by WD at Lisbon meeting
20 case studies presented by 6 MS
Summary and conclusions on:
General approaches
Affordability
Alternative financing mechanisms
Public budget constraints
Costs and benefits / cost recovery
Transparency
Notes for the Speaker:
More information on the Directive, the implementation process and also the guidance documents are available on the internet.

5. Copenhagen workshop
All presentations, an input paper, summary and conclusions are available on Circa:
Notes for the Speaker:
More information on the Directive, the implementation process and also the guidance documents are available on the internet.

6. Discussion Document

7. workshop summary and conclusions proposals for further discussion
Discussion Document
Version 1:
workshop summary and conclusions
proposals for further discussion
Comments received from 8 MS
Version 2:
summarised comments received on proposals for further discussion
Notes for the Speaker:
More information on the Directive, the implementation process and also the guidance documents are available on the internet.

8. At and after SCG, identification of:
Discussion Document
At and after SCG, identification of:
Proposals for common understanding
4 main open points
Questions for Water Directors’ meeting
Version 3 was prepared on the basis of comments at and after SCG-meeting
Notes for the Speaker:
More information on the Directive, the implementation process and also the guidance documents are available on the internet.

9. Discussion Document version 3:
CH2: already agreed common grounds
CH3: common grounds proposed for agreement
CH4: open points
CH5: transparency
Notes for the Speaker:
More information on the Directive, the implementation process and also the guidance documents are available on the internet.

10. Discussion Document version 3:
Proposed common understanding
Interpretation ‘costs of basic measures’ in statement that these cannot be considered for disproportionality assessment
Prioritisation approaches
Alternative financing mechanisms
Use of affordability in extending the deadline
Notes for the Speaker:
More information on the Directive, the implementation process and also the guidance documents are available on the internet.

11. Discussion Document version 3:
Open points
Use of prioritisation approaches in justification of exemptions
Role public budget limitations
Administrative/legal constraints
Role of affordability in Article 4.5
Notes for the Speaker:
More information on the Directive, the implementation process and also the guidance documents are available on the internet.

12. Discussion Document version 3:
Transparency
Already agreed issues
Proposed further guidance
Describe:
There are no alternative financing mechanisms
Underlying reasons invoking disproportionality
What action will be taken and the progress made
How costs of non-action are included
Notes for the Speaker:
More information on the Directive, the implementation process and also the guidance documents are available on the internet.

13. Questions to Water Directors on open points

14. Questions to Water Directors
Prioritisation approaches
Are the listed criteria examples, or is the list exhaustive?
Why are costs of inaction not included as a prioritisation criterion?
How are criteria for prioritisation proposed in the text above related to the reasons set out for justification of an extension of the deadline in Article 4(4) of the WFD?
- How is it guaranteed that a prioritisation approach is in line with the principle that exempting from the WFD environmental objectives should not be the rule but exceptional?
Notes for the Speaker:
More information on the Directive, the implementation process and also the guidance documents are available on the internet.

15. Questions to Water Directors
Public budget constraints
-When public budget constraints are used as an argument for extending the deadline, how is it ensured that costs of measures from other existing relevant legislation are not included in the assessment of disproportionality?
-Could examples be given of cases where public budget constraints will be used as a reason for extending the deadline, and where they therefore cannot be solved in the short term?
Notes for the Speaker:
More information on the Directive, the implementation process and also the guidance documents are available on the internet.

16. Questions to Water Directors
Administrative/legal constraints
Are there specific examples of administrative/legal constraints that cannot be solved by 2012, other than obtaining land?
Are there specific examples of administrative/legal constraints that cannot be related to the reasons for justification set out in Article 4(4) of the Directive (disproportionate costs/technical unfeasibility)?
- How is it guaranteed that progress is made in addressing administrative/legal constraints?
Notes for the Speaker:
More information on the Directive, the implementation process and also the guidance documents are available on the internet.

17. Questions to Water Directors
Affordability in 4(5)
-Are there examples of cases where affordability may be used to justify a lower objective others than the examples for which it is expected that the objectives will be achieved a few years after 2027 without affordability issues?
Notes for the Speaker:
More information on the Directive, the implementation process and also the guidance documents are available on the internet.

18. Request to Water Directors

19. Request to Water Directors
Discuss and agree the proposed common understanding in Chapter 3;
Discuss the open points identified identified in Chapter 4;
Address the questions raised in Chapter 4;
Progress towards common understanding on the open points at the meeting;
Discuss and agree the points proposed in Chapter 5 on transparency;
Agree that achieved consensus at the meeting will be made publicly available, and included in the guidance document for end 2008.
Notes for the Speaker:
More information on the Directive, the implementation process and also the guidance documents are available on the internet.