Agenda item: 5
Title:
Committees plus Reporting and Information Systems in Relation to EU Water Legislation
Version no.:1.0Date: 14 November 2005
Author(s): EC, DG ENV D.2
Purpose of the document
The document presents ideas on streamlining and consolidating the committee and reporting/information requirements in EU water policy.
The Water Directors are invited to:
a) Take note of this initiative;
b) Discuss the ideas and provide feedback to the Commission.
Contact:
Patrick Murphy and Joachim D’Eugenio
Committees plus Reporting and Information Systems in Relation to EU Water Legislation
Introduction
The Water Framework Directive is the centre piece of EU water policy. At the same time we have an historical baggage of EU legislation dating back to the 1970s. Some of the existing legislation will be repealed/phased out in accordance with Article 22 of the Water Framework Directive while directives such as the bathing water directive, drinking water directive, urban waste water directive, nitrates directive will continue to exist in parallel with the WFD. In order to streamline and simplify EU water policy it is suggested that the reporting requirements and the committee procedures established under these “parallel” directives be repealed and re-grouped under the WFD.
In taking any initiative to streamline reporting and information requirements associated with water policy, we need to keep in mind that the objective of improving the quality and availability of information to support the Community’s environmental policy, while at the same time minimizing the associated administrative burden is a high priority for the Commission. The vision of a shared and streamlined information system has already been discussed in the EPRG where the Member States expressed their general support for working towards a streamlined system, designed around INSPIRE and based on the principles of accessibility and interoperability
Committee Procedures
Each directive has its own Committee with its own group of experts. What we are suggesting to just have one committee, the committee established under Article 21 of the Water Framework Directive (In the proposed marine protection directive and in the future proposal on flood protection we will also use the WFD Committee).
The effect of operating with one committee will be to reduce the number of separate committees and their associated network of experts and to simply have one “water” committee. This committee would deal with reporting issues but also any other issues which are delegated to Comitology according to the various directives. Clearly, the participants at the meetings of the Committee can be selectedon the basis of the agenda items to be discussed but the fact of having one committee will reinforce the message that there are not separate expert networks dealing with different aspects of water management. The work and agendas of this one “water” committee will be developed in close co-operation with the regular meetings of the water directors.
Reporting Procedures.
We would like to work towards one, streamlined and consolidated Water Information System for Europe (WISE). This information system would replace some of the existing systems and networks for information exchange as well as most of the formal reporting requirements. Work on the development of the WISE system in relation to the WFD is already quite advanced. What we are proposing is to progressively integrate into WISE the information collection and reporting systems created under the “parallel” directives. However, to do this we would need to repeal the reporting requirements under these directives and consolidate the procedures under the umbrella of the WFD. Furthermore, DG Env, EEA, ESTAT, JRC are currently developing a WISE Implementation Plan 2006-2010.This plan would set out a work programme on how to achieve this integration step-by-step. The first draft of the work programme should be available in December 2005 and thereafter we will discuss it with the MemberStates and other stakeholders in order to make this a joint work plan. Finally, it should be remembered that the WISE initiative itself is part of the larger initiative on Shared Information Systems (see above). WISE is also very closely associated and coherent with the INSPIRE activity.
Implementation
To streamline the committee procedures and the reporting/information requirements as suggested above, we would need to formally repeal and amend some of the provisions already existing under the “parallel” directives. To do this we would propose to develop a very simple proposal for a directive which in terms of its substance would include the elements indicated in Annex I to this paper. Such a directive could be finalised very quickly and be submitted to Council and Parliament during 2006.While the committee and reporting requirements for water policy can be streamlined as a discrete package, it is also possible that this initiative could be embedded in a larger action addressing similar situations across a number of different, environmental policy sectors.
Guidance/Feedback
The Water Directors are invited to give their reaction to the ideas on streamlining and consolidating the committee and reporting/information requirements which are outlined above.
Annex I: Elements for a Horizontal Directive to Consolidate Committee Procedures and Reporting/Information Requirements Associated with EU Water Policy.
Standardized Reporting Directive (91/692/EEC)
Articles 2 and 3 of Directive 91/692/EEC are repealed.
UWWT Directive (91/271/EEC).
1) Committee Procedure.
Article 18 of Directive 91/271/EEC is repealed. All references to Article 18 in the text of the directive are to be replaced by a reference to Article 21 of Directive 2000/60/EC.
2) Reporting Procedures.
Articles 15.4, 16 and 17 of Directive 91/271/EEC are repealed. The frequency, content and format of reports on the implementation of that directive to be published by the Member States and/or communicated to the Commission shall be determined in accordance with the procedures laid down in Article 21 of Directive 2000/60/EC.
Bathing Water Directive (76/160/EEC)
1) Committee Procedure
Article 11 of Directive 76/160/EEC is repealed. All references to Article 11 in the text of that directive are to be replaced by a reference to Article 21 of Directive 2000/60/EC.
2) Reporting Procedures.
Article 13 of Directive 76/160/EC is repealed.
Drinking Water Directive (98/83/EC)
1) Committee Procedure
Article 12 of Directive 98/83/EC is repealed. All references to Article 12 in that directive shall be replaced by a reference to Article 21 of Directive 2000/60/EC.
2) Reporting Procedures.
Paragraphs 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 of Article 13 of Directive 98/83/EC are repealed. The frequency, content and format of reports on the implementation of that directive to be published by the Member States and/or communicated to the Commission shall be determined in accordance with the procedures laid down in Article 21 of Directive 2000/60/EC.
Nitrates Directive ?