Nitrates Directive: outline and reporting activities October 2016

Nitrates Directive (91/676/EC) OBJECTIVE: reduce water pollution caused by nitrates from agricultural sources and preventing further such pollution

Key elements 1) Water monitoring Water courses, lakes, coastal & marine waters, groundwaters 2) Identification of polluted waters or waters at risk of pollution 3) Designation of nitrate vulnerable zones (NVZ) 4) Elaboration of codes of good agricultural practices Voluntary outside NVZs 5) Elaboration of action programmes Special protection (obligatory within NVZ) 6) Reporting MSs → Commission (NVZ, AP, CGAP) Commission → Parliament, Council, general public (implementation of Directive)

Identification of polluted waters 1. Surface freshwaters, in particular those used or intended for the abstraction of drinking water, which contain or could contain > 50 mg/l nitrates, if no action is taken 2. Groundwaters which contain > 50 mg/l nitrates or could contain > 50 mg/l nitrates if no action is taken 3. Natural freshwater lakes, other freshwater bodies, estuaries, coastal waters and marine waters which are found to be eutrophic or in the near future may become eutrophic if no action is taken

NVZ designation Land draining into polluted waters or waters at risk of pollution Surface freshwaters Groundwaters Transitional, coastal and marine waters Alternatively, MS can take the "whole territory approach" (establishment of obligatory measures for the entire territory)

Action Programmes Example of measures Periods when fertilizer application is prohibited Minimum requirements for capacity and construction of storage facilities for livestock manure Limitation of land application of fertilizer (methodologies for balanced fertilisation) Maximum application standard of 170 Kg N/ha/year from livestock manure Prohibition of land application on water-saturated, flooded, frozen or snow-covered ground Buffer strips near water courses Conditions for the application of fertilizer on steeply sloping ground Procedures for land application guaranteeing uniformity of spreading

Article 10 of the Nitrates Directive Member States shall, in respect of the four-year period following the notification of this Directive and in respect of each subsequent four-year period, submit a report to the Commission containing the information outlined in Annex V. A report pursuant to this Article shall be submitted to the Commission within six months of the end of the period to which it relates 1st Reporting period 1996-1999 2nd Reporting period 2000-2003 3rd Reporting period 2004-2007 4th Reporting period 2008-2011 5th Reporting period 2012-2015

Article 11 of the Nitrates Directive On the basis of the information received pursuant to Article 10 the Commission shall : Publish summary reports within six months of receiving the reports from Member States; and Communicate them to the European Parliament and to the Council.

Reports main contents 1. Evaluation of water quality 2. Nitrate Vulnerable Zones 3. Development, promotion and implementation of Codes of Good Practice 4. Principal measures under Action Programmes 5. Evaluation of Action Programmes 6. Forecast of future evolution of water body quality

2008-2011: Water quality is improving % of groundwater stations exceeding 40 and 50 mg/l nitrates % of surface water stations exceeding 40 and 50 mg/l nitrates …but challenges remain in some countries and "hot spots"

Article 10 reporting 2012-2015 Most MS written reports received Most water quality datasets received Analysis is ongoing. Work is ongoing with MS on various reporting issues (missing data or information, issues of completeness, etc.)

env-nitrates@ec.europa.eu