1. WFD and Agriculture Activity under the CIS 2005/2006 Work Programme

2. The Water Directors recognised in 2004 that……..
Agriculture will significantly impact upon, and be impacted
by, the WFD objectives.
WFD characterisation – a high proportion of water bodies
at risk of failing to meet the WFD ‘good status’ objectives
due to agriculture.
Recent Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) reforms –
increased opportunities to support farmers in
addressing their environmental responsibilities

3. Overall nature and scale of agricultural pressures in Europe
BUT that UNCERTAINTY over ………
Overall nature and scale of agricultural pressures in Europe
Degree to which existing measures, including CAP, will contribute to achieving WFD objectives
Additional action required under WFD

4. Therefore in order to …….
Fill the INFORMATION GAP
MANAGE THE UNCERTAINTY and RISK of not meeting WFD objectives
Encourage better joining-up of WFD and CAP
Consider the IMPACTS OF WFD on AGRICULTURE

5. UK and Commission prepared a mandate and are co-leading this activity
Water Directors decided to establish EU Strategic Steering Group involving water managers and agriculture and rural experts

6. Mandate
Output
Will be targeted at : Member States, the Commission, farmers, organisations involved in the implementation of CAP and WFD, and other interested parties.
Will be ……
- Improved evidence base to inform decision making and identification
of evidence gaps.
- More strategic thinking on how to maximise the value of links
between WFD and CAP agendas – including better links between
the EU water, Agriculture and Rural agendas.
- Information sharing between Member States (e.g. best
approaches for RD programmes).

7. First steering group meeting : 25th April 2005
The work is going on ……..
First steering group meeting : 25th April 2005
UK conference on water and agriculture (twinned with the second steering group meeting) : 20-21st Sep

8. WORK PROGRAMME 2005
Assessing the gap extent between the agricultural activities and the WFD: use of article 5 reports, integration of EEA &JRC projects about nutrients source apportionments in EU, costs and benefits?
Focusing with the preparation of RD programmes: recommendations to help MS in using RD programmes to implement the WFD.
Draft documents to be ready for the UK conference in September and to be approved in November by the Water Directors.

9. WORK Programme 2006
On the basis of the recommendations of the London conference, in two directions
CAP&WFD: use of current instruments, further evolutions needed in the future
Other approaches: information exchanges on 2 other instruments selected by the SSG

10. LONDON CONFERENCE 20-21st September 2005
Key milestone in the activity
Structured in three parts: challenges/solutions/reconciliation between CAP&WFD objectives in the future
Target public: MS water and rural development directions, stakeholders, SSG members (200 people).

11. FINAL REPORT by 2006
Scale of the challenges: pressures and impacts on water resources, potential costs and benefits of the programmes of measures regarding agriculture
CAP&WFD: use of the RD programmes, use of cross-compliance standards, further evolution for the future
Other approaches based on information exchanges.