chapter 1
In the second river basin management plans (RBMPs), Member States reported on the status of implementation of the first programmes of measures (PoM). In the vast majority of river basin districts (84%) and Member States, only some measures of the first PoM could be completed. The lack of finance and unexpected planning delays were the main obstacles to the implementation, along with missing mechanisms for implementing measures (e.g. national regulations not yet adopted) and governance issues (EC, 2019).[i]
This report has so far given an overview of water management issues , which are significant at EU scale and which need to be tackled to further progress in achieving the WFD environmental objectives. In this part of the report, certain types of solutions are discussed, which are of strategic relevance at EU and national level, and can play a major role in supporting and accelerating the implementation of WFD measures.
The WFD PoM are made of basic measures (minimum requirements based on existing legislation) and supplementary measures. Many water challenges described in the European significant water management issues in this report can be addressed through better implementation of the extensive legislative framework on water in place (basic measures). For example, the Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive aims to reduce pollution from point sources, while the Sewage Sludge, the Nitrates or the Plant Protection Products Directives aim to reduce pressures from diffuse sources, especially from agriculture.