12 August 2015
Reactive nitrogen
Towards an integrated approach to protecting
biodiversity
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secretariat@eureau.org
Event: Green week
Date: 03 June 2015
Place: Brussels
Organised by: German Advisory Council for the Environment
EurEau representative: Claudia Castell-Exner
A side event of the Green Week on 3rd June 2015 was dedicated to the issue
of nitrogen in the environment which is still a major concern for drinking
water utilities.
EurEau took the opportunity to present its views and positions in the panel
discussion on the event.
In January 2015 the German Advisory Council on the Environment published a
report entitled “Nitrogen – Strategies for Resolving an Urgent Problem”. Link:
http://www.umweltrat.de/SharedDocs/Downloads/EN/02_Special_Reports/20
12_2016/2015_01_Nitrogen_Strategies_summary.html?nn=396872.
The main focus of this report lies on the impacts of reactive nitrogen
compounds on biodiversity. It calls for an integrated policy approach, which
mobilizes the synergies between water, clean-air, soil, nature, climate and
agricultural policies and improves the public visibility of this persistent and
systemic challenge.
The report is linked to three ongoing political processes in the EU:
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The implementation of the 7th Environmental Action Programme,
which gives excess nitrogen deposition a prominent place and calls for
a more “sustainable and resource-efficient” management of the
nitrogen cycle.
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The better implementation of EU water legislation, which requires a
more consistent approach to releases from agriculture.
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The Commission proposal for a clean-air package which also aims to
better protect ecosystems from excess nutrient loads (ammonia,
nitrogen oxides).
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12 August 2015
Green week side event - Reactive nitrogen – Towards an integrated approach to
protecting biodiversity
Those interlinked processes pose a challenge to multilevel governance: as the
EU defines environmental reduction goals and quality objectives, the federal
states and regions have the duty to implement the environmental directives,
frequently without getting sufficient means from the national and EU levels.
Agricultural policies play a pivotal role in resolving the problem at hand.
Those three issues were the topic of the panel discussion with relevant
stakeholders from Brussels: Pieter de Pous (European Environmental Bureau),
Tania Runge (Copa-Cogeca), Dr. Claudia Castell-Exner (Chair EUREAU
Commission 1 Drinking Water), Martin Häusling (Member of the European
Parliament) and Thomas Henrichs (European Commission).
The German Advisory Council on the Environment (SRU) has been advising
the German government since 1972. The SRU is characterized not only by its
expertise and professional independence, but also by its interdisciplinary
approach. The Council’s key responsibility is the periodic evaluation of the
environmental situation and of the environmental conditions in Germany.
Besides this the SRU is active in analyzing the environmental policy of the EU.
Claudia Castell-Exner expressed EurEau’s visions on water resources
protection and indicated that agriculture is still the main source of
environmental pressures on drinking water resources as also stressed in the
last report (2013) on the Nitrates Directive. The European Commission
reported as well in the recently published communication on the Water
Framework Directive “Actions towards the “good status” of EU water” that the
“implementation of the Nitrates Directive is not enough to tackle diffuse
pollution to the level needed to secure WFD objectives” and “necessary
measures have not been added to address the remaining shortcomings”.
From EurEau’s point of view the objectives of Water Framework Directive
mentioned in article 7 (3) Water abstracted for drinking water production are
very valid but in reality the Member States doesn’t put the level of
emphasis/ambition to implement this article in their programmes of measure
and river basin management plans.
Influencing agricultural practices which affects water is also an issue within
the frame of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP). Water-related crosscompliance requirements and the European Agricultural Fund for Rural
Development are two instruments which have been determined to integrate
European water policy objectives into the CAP. Unfortunately these
approaches show delays and weaknesses as the Court of Auditors pointed out
in this recent special report “Integration of EU water policy objectives with the
CAP: a partial success” (2014). From this background the Court of Auditors
strongly recommend that the necessary modifications of the current
instruments (cross-compliance, rural development) are made or new
instruments which are capable to comply with the WFD-objectives are
developed and integrated in the CAP.
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12 August 2015
Green week side event - Reactive nitrogen – Towards an integrated approach to
protecting biodiversity
EurEau’s positions on the CAP – as laid down in the position paper “Common
Agricultural Policy – CAP after 2013; Greening of the 1st pillar (direct
payments)
“Blueing measures” to protect drinking water resources” on
1. Plant nutrition and fertilization;
2. Land utilisation and cultivation;
3. Plant protection (pest management);
4. Water management;
5. Organisation and management.
were presented as well as EurEau’s views on emerging developments which
interfere with the nitrogen issue like the biogas boom and climate change.
With regards to the way forward EurEau addresses the following steps
needed:
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Evaluation of Nitrates Directive (1991)
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Stronger implementation of Article 7 (3) WFD
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Adjust CAP according to weaknesses adressed by Court of Auditors
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Link CAP (water-related cross-compliance requirements) and WFD
objectives.
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