1. Nitrates Directive: outline and reporting activities October 2016

2. Nitrates Directive (91/676/EC)
OBJECTIVE: reduce water pollution caused by nitrates from agricultural sources and preventing further such pollution

3. Key elements 1) Water monitoring
Water courses, lakes, coastal & marine waters, groundwaters
2) Identification of polluted waters or waters at risk of pollution
3) Designation of nitrate vulnerable zones (NVZ)
4) Elaboration of codes of good agricultural practices
Voluntary outside NVZs
5) Elaboration of action programmes
Special protection (obligatory within NVZ)
6) Reporting
MSs → Commission (NVZ, AP, CGAP)
Commission → Parliament, Council, general public (implementation of Directive)

4. Identification of polluted waters
1. Surface freshwaters, in particular those used or intended for the abstraction of drinking water, which contain or could contain > 50 mg/l nitrates, if no action is taken
2. Groundwaters which contain > 50 mg/l nitrates or could contain > 50 mg/l nitrates if no action is taken
3. Natural freshwater lakes, other freshwater bodies, estuaries, coastal waters and marine waters which are found to be eutrophic or in the near future may become eutrophic if no action is taken

5. NVZ designation
Land draining into polluted waters or waters at risk of pollution
Surface freshwaters
Groundwaters
Transitional, coastal and marine waters
Alternatively, MS can take the "whole territory approach" (establishment of obligatory measures for the entire territory)

6. Action Programmes Example of measures
Periods when fertilizer application is prohibited
Minimum requirements for capacity and construction of storage facilities for livestock manure
Limitation of land application of fertilizer (methodologies for balanced fertilisation)
Maximum application standard of 170 Kg N/ha/year from livestock manure
Prohibition of land application on water-saturated, flooded, frozen or snow-covered ground
Buffer strips near water courses
Conditions for the application of fertilizer on steeply sloping ground
Procedures for land application guaranteeing uniformity of spreading

7. Article 10 of the Nitrates Directive
Member States shall, in respect of the four-year period following the notification of this Directive and in respect of each subsequent four-year period, submit a report to the Commission containing the information outlined in Annex V.
A report pursuant to this Article shall be submitted to the Commission within six months of the end of the period to which it relates
1st Reporting period
2nd Reporting period
3rd Reporting period
4th Reporting period
5th Reporting period

8. Article 11 of the Nitrates Directive
On the basis of the information received pursuant to Article 10 the Commission shall :
Publish summary reports within six months of receiving the reports from Member States; and
Communicate them to the European Parliament and to the Council.

9. Reports main contents 1. Evaluation of water quality
2. Nitrate Vulnerable Zones
3. Development, promotion and implementation of
Codes of Good Practice
4. Principal measures under Action Programmes
5. Evaluation of Action Programmes
6. Forecast of future evolution of water body quality

10. 2008-2011: Water quality is improving
% of groundwater stations exceeding 40 and 50 mg/l nitrates
% of surface water stations exceeding 40 and 50 mg/l nitrates
…but challenges remain in some countries and "hot spots"

11. Article 10 reporting 2012-2015 Most MS written reports received
Most water quality datasets received
Analysis is ongoing. Work is ongoing with MS on various reporting issues (missing data or information, issues of completeness, etc.)