Acronyms and abbreviations

BOD                     Biochemical oxygen demand

BWD                    Bathing Water Directive

CFU                     Colony-forming unit (unit used to estimate the number of bacteria with the ability to multiply via binary fission under controlled conditions)

CSO                     Combined storm overflow

DWD                    Drinking Water Directive

EAP                      Environment Action Programme

EC                        European Commission

EEA                     European Environment Agency

ETC/ICM              European Topic Centre on Inland, Coastal and Marine Waters

EU-13                   Member States of EU having joined since 2004 (2004: Cyprus, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia; 2007: Bulgaria, Romania; 2013: Croatia)

EU-15                   Member States of the EU before 2004 (Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, United Kingdom)

EU-28                   EU Member States at the time of publication (sum of EU-13 and EU-15)

GBP                     Great British Pound (sterling) - currency in UK

MSFD                   Marine Strategy Framework Directive

NH₄                                     Ammonium

NiD                      Nitrates Directive

p.e.                       Population equivalents

UV                       ultraviolet

UWWTD              Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive

UWWTP               urban wastewater treatment plant

WFD                    Water Framework Directive

WHO                    World Health Organization

WISE                    Water Information System for Europe

WSP                     Water safety plan