Report from the Commission to the Council and the European Parliament on the implementation of Council Directive 91/676/EEC concerning the protection of waters against pollution caused by nitrates from agricultural sources based on Member State reports for the period 2008-2011

Council Directive 91/676/EEC (the Nitrates Directive) aims to reduce water pollution caused by nitrates from agricultural sources and to prevent such pollution through a number of steps to be fulfilled by Member States:
- water monitoring of all water body types (with regard to nitrate concentration and trophic status);
- identification of waters that are polluted or at risk of pollution, on the basis of criteria defined in Annex I to the Directive;
- designation of nitrate vulnerable zones, which are areas that drain into identified waters and contribute to pollution;
- the establishment of codes of good agricultural practices, implemented on a voluntary basis throughout the Member State territory;
- the establishment of action programmes, which include a set of measures to prevent and reduce water pollution by nitrates and are implemented on an obligatory basis within designated nitrates vulnerable zones or throughout the entire territory;
- the review and possible revision at least every 4 years of the designation of nitrate vulnerable zones and of action programmes; and
- the submission to the Commission every four years of a progress report on the implementation of the Directive.

Reports submitted by the Member States under Article 10 of the Nitrates Directive should in particular contain information pertaining to codes of good agricultural practice, designated nitrate vulnerable zones, results of water monitoring, and a summary of the relevant aspects of action programmes drawn up for nitrate vulnerable zones.

Based on these reports, this report fulfils the Commission's obligations under Article 11. It is mainly based on the information submitted by the Member States referring to the period 2008–2011 and is accompanied by a Staff Working Document (SWD) which includes maps and tables on indicators of nutrient pressures from agricultural sources, water quality and designated nitrate vulnerable zones, both at EU level and per each Member State.

This is the second time that all 27 Member States have submitted a report. A comparison with the previous reporting period is now possible for all Member States. Reports were submitted in 2012, with additional information submitted in early 2013.

EUR-Lex: COM(2013)683: Follow the progress of this report through the decision-making procedure http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/HIS/?uri=COM:2013:683:FIN

EUR-Lex: SWD(2013)405: Commission Staff Working Document accompanying the report http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=SWD:2013:405:FIN

ESO: Background information: Environment: Water pollution is decreasing but a lot remains to be done http://www.europeansources.info/record/press-release-environment-water-pollution-is-decreasing-but-a-lot-remains-to-be-done/

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