Water Framework Directive
Water protection instruments
(B) Organisation of the action to be conducted
Member States actions rely on river basin district management plans within the context of which integrated programmes of measures are implemented. In addition, a “combined approach” aims at controlling discharges at point sources and diffuse sources. As the management plans must include a summary of the programmes of measures, the objectives of which they nevertheless set forth, the preparation of both documents needs to be coordinated.
Management plans
A river basin management plan is established for each river basin district (Article 13(1)) and includes relevant elements for implementing the applicable legislation, most notably the results of the above-mentioned analyses (Annex VII). In addition to a general description of the characteristics of the river basin district and of the location of water bodies and of protected areas, the plan primarily includes a summary of the significant pressures and impacts of human activity on the status of surface waters and groundwater, a list of environmental objectives, a summary of the economic analysis and one of the programmes of measures.
River basin district management plans and related works must be made available to the public, as well as their updates. Indeed, individuals and interested parties have a right to be actively involved in the implementation of the Directive and, in particular, in the production, review and updating of river basin management plans (Case C-32/05 Commission v Luxembourg, para. 80; Case C-43/10 Nomarchiaki Aftodioikisi Aitoloakarnanias e.a. v Ypourgos Perivallontos, Chorotaxias kai Dimosion ergon e.a., para. 75).
Programmes of measures
Programmes of measures do not have the same degree of specificity as the management plans since they “may make reference to measures following from legislation adopted at national level and covering all of the territory of a Member State” or apply to all river basin districts or portions of international river basin districts within a Member State’s territory (Article 11(1)).
In addition to the provisions required for the implementation of the WFD itself, those programmes include measures pertaining to the application of rules specific to bathing waters, wild birds, drinking water, major accidents, sewage sludge, plant protection products, nitrates of agricultural sources, in short, to any relevant legislations (Article 11 and Annex VI).