1. Bruxelles 17 october-2007 WG E Meeting
Chemical Monitoring Activity
Overview of the activities
Mario Carere-Philippe Quevauviller-Bernd Gawlik
National Institute of Health-Italy
European Commission
Joint Research Center

2. STRATEGIC CO-ORDINATION GROUP
CMA ( ) Organisation
STRATEGIC CO-ORDINATION GROUP
PLENARY CMA
(GW, SW/MW)
WG C or WG E
(joint meetings)
CMA-1
Monitoring
best practices
CMA-2
QA_QC
CMA-3
Standardisation

3. Activity CMA-1 (Monitoring best practices)
Work in progress
The Surface Water monitoring guidance will be updated/finalised as soon as the PS Directive text will be consolidated (after 2nd reading); an interim version is available on circa.
JRC has performed a field trial for selected priority pollutants in surface water together with different European laboratories. A Report is available and will be distributed to CMA. Organisation of a second field trials for 2008 is envisaged.
Elaboration of a guidance on sediment and biota monitoring in the light of requirements of Article 16 of the WFD (focus on priority substances).
On-going discussion on monitoring best practices also in the light of the new directive proposal (mixing zones, other items..).

4. Sediment and Biota guidance justifications/needs
Proposal for a Directive of the European Parliament and of the Council on environmental quality standards in the field of water policy and amending Directive 2000/60/EC after political agreement:
“Member States may opt to apply EQS for specified priority substances for sediment and/or biota instead of those laid down in Annex I, Part A of the directive in certain categories of surface water”. MS determine the frequency of monitoring in biota and/or sediment”
“Member States shall arrange for the long term trend analysis of concentrations of those priority substances listed in Annex I, Part A, that tend to accumulate in sediment and/or biota” on the basis of monitoring of water status carried out in accordance with Article 8 of Directive 2000/60/EC”.
Chemical monitoring of sediment and biota (instead of column water) is widely used by the Member States in particular for marine-coastal and transitional waterbodies.
There is a need to better harmonize the monitoring of sediment and biota in the different Member States.

5. Activity CMA-2 (Quality assurance and control)
Work in progress
Finalisation of the “Commission Decision“ initiated in 2006, which is aimed to be adopted by comitology (legal basis: Article 8.3 WFD) in spring 2008.
Development of a common strategy for quality assurance and control that will cover surface and groundwater in close connection with the EAQC-WISE project (European Analytical Quality Control in support of WISE: SSP project), aiming to identify common requirements and establish a European network in support of routine monitoring laboratories.

6. Activity CMA-3 (Standardisation)
Work in progress
Establishment of list(s) of ISO and EN standards relevant to WFD chemical monitoring of priority substances elaborated by DG/Env and the Working Group 1 of CEN/TC-230.
Elaboration of a mandate for standardisation addressed to CEN for the development or improvement or standards in support of the WFD to be proposed to the comitology.
On.going discussion on standardisation needs related to WFD chemical monitoring and evaluation of expressed needs (this should concern the analysis of physico-chemical parameters and chemical substances monitored under the WFD in surface/marine and ground water, sediment and biota;