European Groundwater Conference 2006

22-23 June 2006 in Vienna during the Austrian EU Presidency

About 250 European and international experts came together in Vienna in order to exchange their experiences on the topic of groundwater – protection and assessment of the state of groundwater in terms of quality and quantity.

European provisions for groundwater protection

The EU Water Framework Directive is the basis of European water protection. In many countries, the requirements set out in this Directive have now prompted a thorough discussion of the topic of groundwater for the first time.

Groundwater Daughter Directive

In addition to the Water Framework Directive, a draft Daughter Directive relating to groundwater is currently discussed in the Council and in the European Parliament. It will regulate the following areas:

• Criteria for assessing good groundwater status
• Identification and reversal of trends of chemical groundwater pollutants
• Measures to prevent or limit pollutant inputs into groundwater

State of the negotiations

As the EU Parliament and the Council failed to come to an agreement during the second reading of the Directive, the matter will be referred to the conciliation committee under the Finnish EU Presidency in the autumn of 2006.

Presentation of different viewpoints

At the Vienna Groundwater Conference, further discussions were started with representatives from all important interest groups. MP Christa Klaß presented the viewpoint of the European Parliament, Robert Fenz (Lebensministerium/ Austrian Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, Environment and Water Management) that of the Council and Philippe Quevauviller voiced the European Commission’s viewpoint.

In principle, the objective – the highest possible level of groundwater protection - is pursued by all parties concerned, even if there are differences when it comes to the details of individual approaches.

The opportunity for an exchange of information between experts and political decision-makers within the framework of the Conference was seen in a very positive light. MP Klaß appreciated the contributions of the experts.

Further Conference topics:

Presentation and discussion of technical guidance documents for the implementation of EU requirements for groundwater protection – these guidance documents help Member States with the implementation, and make the results comparable.

Presentation of scientific studies providing the necessary basis for implementing EU requirements

Reports on experiences gained in the Member States with the implementation of European requirements

Complementary speeches were concerned with national river basin management in the Danube and Mediterranean areas. In these speeches, it was clearly stated that the concept of the Water Framework Directive is of interest even for non-EU countries and countries outside Europe, and that various forms of cooperation already exist both at political and technical level.

Panel discussion

The conference ended with a panel discussion led by Wilhelm Vogel, Umweltbundesamt. As throughout the entire process of implementation of the Water Framework Directive, various different interest groups were represented on the panel:

Lebensministerium – Department VII Water

EEB – European Environmental Bureau

UNESCO – United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation

EUREAU – European Union of National Associations of Water Suppliers and Waste Water Services

EUROMINES – European Association of Mining Industries  

European Commission DG Environment; protection of water, oceans and seas

COPA COGEGA – Committee of Professional Agricultural Organisations in the European Union, General Confederation of Agricultural Co-operatives in the European Union.

Heightened awareness of groundwater, and of its protection

The conference was a successful event in that a high level of attention was given to groundwater, a resource which is often overlooked, and in that the most important pillars of groundwater protection were discussed.

Those who participated in the panel discussion agreed in principle that groundwater is a highly sensitive and valuable resource in need of protection. When it came to detailed questions regarding the actual implementation of measures for groundwater protection, the differences between the individual approaches became obvious, as expected – for example whether the aims can be achieved with programmes alone on a voluntary basis, or whether mandatory measures or taxes are necessary.

The representative of the Lebensministerium referred to the precautionary principle as well as to the nationwide scheme of water protection, both laid down in the Austrian Water Act, as model examples. It was pointed out that, because of the wide variety of hydrogeological conditions in Europe, the Member States have to be granted certain flexibility.

It was mentioned on several occasions that the legal requirements as stipulated by the Water Framework Directive provide a sound basis and that their implementation should be started as soon as possible. This is important especially as, because of the long time of groundwater renewal, it takes a long time until an improvement of the state of groundwater can be measured. From the aspect of precaution, the topic “prevention and limitation of pollutant inputs” is therefore of particular relevance.

Organisers

The conference was organised by the Umweltbundesamt, together with the Lebensministerium and the European Commission. Other partners involved in the organisation included the city of Vienna/Vienna water companies, the Federation of Austrian Industry, the International Atomic Energy Agency IAEA and the Austrian Federal Economic Chamber.

Sponsored by:

City of Vienna / Vienna Waterworks

Federation of Austrian Industry

IAEA - International Atomic Energy Agency

Austrian Federal Economic Chamber

Supported by:

International Association of Hydrogeologists

UNESCO - United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization

IHP - International Hydrological Programme of UNESCO