With the Water Framework Directive (WFD), the EU has realigned and further developed its water and water protection policy, including:
- Water protection for all waters, groundwater and surface waters;
- Obligation to achieve/maintain a “good status” for all waters, as a rule by 2015; ‘good status’ is defined holistically – for surface waters via biology (microfauna, microflora, fish fauna), chemistry and morphology, for groundwater via chemistry and quantitative balance;
- Water management based on river basins, across administrative and political boundaries;
- Linking emission and immission criteria;
- Prices for water-related services that reflect the cost recovery principle and thus support resource protection;
- Broad involvement of citizens, communities and stakeholders in planning and decision-making processes in the preparation of river basin plans.
Art. 4(7) describes conditions under which there is no breach of the Water Framework Directive if its environmental objectives are not met. The article can be applied in the following circumstances:
The aim of the project was to develop a guidance document for Luxembourg on the application of Article 4.7 of the WFD. This guidance document should support the national implementation of the CIS guidance document 36.