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PDF hosted at the Radboud Repository of the Radboud University Nijmegen The following full text is a preprint version which may differ from the publisher's version. For additional information about this publication click this link. http://hdl.handle.net/2066/78392 Please be advised that this information was generated on 2021-09-27 and may be subject to change. See discussions, stats, and author profiles for this publication at: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/254878815 Dealing with Complexity and Policy Discretion: A Comparison of the Implementation Process of the European Water Framework Directive in Five Member States Article in Constellations · January 2009 CITATIONS READS 13 79 4 authors, including: Jasper van Kempen Marcus Antonius Wiering Utrecht University Radboud University Nijmegen 16 PUBLICATIONS 72 CITATIONS 61 PUBLICATIONS 467 CITATIONS SEE PROFILE SEE PROFILE H.F.M.W. Van Rijswick Utrecht University 249 PUBLICATIONS 384 CITATIONS SEE PROFILE Dealing with complexity and policy discretion A comparison of the implementation process of the European Water Framework Directive in five member states Edited by Y. Uitenboogaart, J.J.H. van Kempen, M. A. Wiering, H.F.M.W. van Rijswick 1 Dealing with complexity and policy discretion A comparison of the implementation process of the European Water Framework Directive in five member states Edited by Y. Uitenboogaart, J.J.H. van Kempen, M. A. Wiering, H.F.M.W. van Rijswick LOGO RU Department of Political Sciences of the Environment (Leerstoelgroep Milieu en Beleid) Nijmegen School of Management Radboud University Nijmegen LOGO UU Department of Law Centre for Environmental Law and Policy/NILOS (Centrum voor Omgevingsrecht en –beleid/NILOS) Utrecht University April 2009 2 PREFACE The Water Framework Directive (WFD) is one of today’s most comprehensive European Directives and is considered to be of major importance for domestic water management, especially regarding the chemical and ecological conditions of water bodies all over Europe. This book results from a rather simple initial question: How is The Netherlands, compared to other countries, doing in implementing the Directive? Are we front runners or lagging behind? This simple question turned out to produce less simple answers. It raised further questions, e.g. what exactly is the WFD asking member states to do? What are the ‘degrees of freedom’ that the WFD offers? How do member states deal with the substantial and procedural complexity of the Directive and what pathways do they follow? We tried to answer all these questions by setting up a comparative research project from two different angles: the formal implementation and the practical implementation. The formal implementation of the Directive was investigated by Utrecht University, the practical implementation by the University of Nijmegen. Thus, this book is also the result of a joint effort to clarify and connect different dimensions of implementation. The work in Nijmegen was the responsibility of the Department of Political Sciences of the Environment (Milieu en Beleid); that participates in the multi-disciplinary Centre of Water and Society at the Radboud University Nijmegen. At Utrecht University the project was part of the research project ‘Environmental Quality standards and Emission ceilings in European environmental directives: in search for good implementation and application’ of the Centre for Environmental Law and Policy/Netherlands Institute for the Law of the Sea, Department of Law, Utrecht University. This book would not be possible without the financial and substantial support of the Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency (Planbureau voor de Leefomgeving) and the Ministry of Transport, Public Works and Water management. We want to thank the steering committee (see Annex I) of the project for their constructive comments and, now and again, for their patience. Special thanks to all our experts in different countries (see Annex II) who contributed with excellent reports. Finally we want to thank all interviewees (see Annex II) for taking time for our questions in the middle of the preparation process of the draft-river basin management plans. We wish that their work make Europe a healthier and ecologically more interesting place. On behalf of all authors, Yukina Uitenboogaart Jasper van Kempen Mark Wiering Marleen van Rijswick Nijmegen/Utrecht, April 2009 3 CONTENTS Preface CONTENTS 4 LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS _____________________________________________ 8 CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION _________________________________________ 10 1.1 Introduction _______________________________________________________ 10 1.2 Focus of this study _________________________________________________ 12 1.3 Relevant content of the WFD ________________________________________ 13 1.4. Research Design ___________________________________________________ 26 1.5 Research questions_________________________________________________ 30 References _______________________________________________________________ 31 Annex 1 __________________________________________________________________ 35 CHAPTER 2 IMPLEMENTATION OF THE WFD IN SIX COUNTRIES – IN A NUTSHELL 37 2.1 Introduction _______________________________________________________ 37 2.2 Main Problems _____________________________________________________ 37 2.3 Transposition ______________________________________________________ 39 2.4 Organisational framework __________________________________________ 41 2.5 Conclusions _______________________________________________________ 53 References _______________________________________________________________ 54 CHAPTER 3 THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE WFD IN THE NETHERLANDS _____________________________________________________ 57 3.1 Introduction _______________________________________________________ 57 3.2 Goal-Setting Process ________________________________________________ 62 3.3 The Planning Process _______________________________________________ 65 3.4 Programme of Measures ____________________________________________ 68 3.5 Resources _________________________________________________________ 70 3.6 No Deterioration Principle __________________________________________ 71 4 3.7 Use of Exemptions _________________________________________________ 72 3.8 Integration ________________________________________________________ 73 3.9 Conclusions _______________________________________________________ 78 References _______________________________________________________________ 81 CHAPTER 4 THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE WFD IN DENMARK ____ 84 4.1 Introduction ___________________________________________ 84 4.2 Goal-Setting Process ____________________________________ 87 4.3 The Planning Process _______________________________________________ 89 4.4 Programme of Measures ____________________________________________ 92 4.5 Resources _________________________________________________________ 95 4.6 No Deterioration Principle __________________________________________ 96 4.7 Use of Exemptions _________________________________________________ 97 4.8 Integration ____________________________________________ 98 Nature and Water _________________________________________________________ 99 4.9 Conclusion ___________________________________________ 104 References ______________________________________________________________ 105 CHAPTER 5 THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE WFD IN FRANCE ______ 113 5.1 Introduction __________________________________________ 113 5.2 Goal-Setting Process ___________________________________ 116 5.3 The Planning Process ______________________________________________ 118 5.4 Programme of Measures ___________________________________________ 122 5.5 Resources ________________________________________________________ 124 5.6 No Deterioration Principle _________________________________________ 124 5.7 Use of Exemptions ________________________________________________ 125 5.8 Integration ___________________________________________ 127 5.9 Conclusions ___________________________________________ 129 References ______________________________________________________________ 133 CHAPTER 6 CASE STUDY ENGLAND _______________________________ 134 6.1 Introduction __________________________________________ 134 Characteristics of the Anglian River Basin District and the Wensum catchment _ 134 5 6.2 Goal Setting Process ___________________________________ 141 6.3 The Planning Process ______________________________________________ 144 6.4 Programme of Measures ___________________________________________ 146 6.5 Resources ________________________________________________________ 148 6.6 No Deterioration Principle _________________________________________ 149 6.7 Use of Exemptions ________________________________________________ 151 6.8 Integration ___________________________________________ 152 6.9 Conclusions ___________________________________________ 158 References ______________________________________________________________ 159 Appendix 163 CHAPTER 7 CASE STUDY GERMANY ______________________________ 165 7.1 Introduction _____________________________________________________ 165 River Basin District Meuse and Catchment Characteristics ___________________ 165 River Basin Management and Coordination ________________________________ 165 7.2 Goal Setting Process ___________________________________ 167 Designation of Water Bodies ______________________________________________ 167 Setting Formal Standards _________________________________________________ 170 General Environmental Goal of good Status ________________________________