Protection and water management The European Union (EU) established a framework for the protection: • of inland surface water • groundwater • transitional waters and coastal waters.
• This framework directive pursues multiple objectives, such as preventing and reducing pollution, promoting sustainable water use, environmental protection, improvement of conditions of aquatic ecosystems and the mitigation of the effects of floods and droughts. • His ultimate goal is to achieve a "good" ecological and chemical status of all waters by 2015.
• The European Union has established a Community framework for the protection and management of water. • First rule: Member States must identify and analyze European waters, classified by basin and river basin district, to which they belong.
Second rule: Member States must adopt management plans and programs of measures suitable for each water body.
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Member States are required to identify all the river basins lying within their territory and to assign them to individual river basin districts
• River basins covering the territory of several Member States have to be assigned to an international river basin district.
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Member States shall designate a competent authority for the application of the rules in this framework Directive within each river basin district.