The most comprehensive instrument of EU water policy, the EU Water Framework Directive (WFD), is currently up for evaluation (‘fitness check’) to assess if is fit for purpose. The WFD is the single most important piece of EU legislation to protect and improve the water quality and the life in our rivers and lakes, wetlands, estuaries and coastal waters.
As part of the Fitness Check, the European Commission launched a
public consultation that will remain open until March 2019.
Our campaign
The EAA and four other prominent NGOs
[1] have drafted a considered consultation response, which can be copied or used as inspiration. If you agree our proposed response in full you only need to click the ‘Act now’ button on our
campaign page then your response goes directly into the consultation. Close to 180,000 people have made use of this option so far.
Event arranged at the European Parliament
In the framework of the evaluation, the European Parliament Forum on Recreational Fisheries and Aquatic Environment will organise a conference entitled ‘The Water Framework Directive Fitness Check and the protection of EU waters’ that will take place on the 29th of January in the European Parliament. The event is arranged to raise awareness of the importance of having in place a strong and ambitious water law to ensure the preservation and the improvement of EU’s waters, aquatic wildlife and biodiversity.
The event will bring together a diverse range of panellists who will highlight the benefits of the WFD. The aim of the conference is to stress that the WFD is fit for purpose but the Member States’ implementation of the WFD is lacking behind as emphasized by the European Environment Agency:
“A vast majority of Europe’s water bodies still fail to meet the European Union’s minimum target for ‘good status’...only 40% of monitored lakes, rivers, estuaries and coastal waters achieved the EU Water Framework Directive’s minimum ‘good’ or ‘high’ ecological status during the 2010-2015 monitoring period.”
[2]
The EAA will be attending the event as a keynote speaker on behalf of the ‘Living Rivers Europe’ coalition.
The agenda and more information about the RecFishing Forum event will be soon available
here.
[1] The European Anglers Alliance (EAA), the European Environment Bureau (EEB), the European Rivers Network (ERN), the Wetlands International European Association (WI-EA) and the WWF, European Policy Office (WWF EPO) have formed a coaltion named ‘Living Rivers Europe’, which was launched 22 March 2017 - to closely monitor and engage with the evaluation process of the EU Water Framework Directive.
[2] Media release of 3 July 2018 by the European Environment Agency: