1. CIS workshop : assessment of the ecological status.
CIS workshop – 11&12 June Paris national classification systems for the assessment of ecological status of surface waters
CIS workshop : assessment of the ecological status.
50 participants from 18 countries + EC
11 presentations : DGENV, Austria, Estonia, Czech Republic, Germany, the Netherlands, Sweden, UK, France
3 sessions :
ecological significance and combination of the biological quality elements
role and place of the physico-chemical elements
effect of aggregation, uncertainty, confidence & precision
11-12 June, Paris

2. CIS workshop : assessment of the ecological status.
General principles set in the guidance are valid
Differencies in implementing in practice the guidance
Part of those differencies is coming from different levels of maturity
How to ensure the comparability of MS approach for classification
Focus on practical aspects
Selection of QE can influence the results of the classification
CIS workshop : assessment of the ecological status.
11-12 June, Paris

3. CIS workshop : assessment of the ecological status.
Main conclusion
State of play : different approaches and methods within national classification systems (aggregation of data, combination of QE, automatic OOAO on BQE, use of expert judgement, place of chemistry…)
Therefore, despite the huge ongoing work in the frame of IC, we have no final guarantee of « comparable levels of ambition » between MS
CIS workshop : assessment of the ecological status.
11-12 June, Paris

4. CIS workshop : assessment of the ecological status.
Possible follow-up
Need for common views about the classification : « complement » to the classification guidance (in the frame of ECOSTAT activity 4) ?
If agreement, the complement could be based on practical case-studies, in 3 directions :
How to ensure comparability between MS whereas different QE can be used for the classification ??
How to manage risks of misclassification (combination of biological elements, checking procedure for chemistry) ?
How to better communicate about the results of the final assessment ?
CIS workshop : assessment of the ecological status.
11-12 June, Paris