Reducing pesticides in water

Project description and aims

The balance between a competitive agricultural production and the protection of water ecosystems
is a concern for the EU member states within the common agricultural policy (CAP) and the Water
Framework Directive (WFD). Instruments for achieving sustainable use of pesticides are voluntary agro-environment commitments funded within Rural Development Programs (RDPs) and regulatory minimum requirements of cross compliance and basic measures according to WFD. In order to achieve the objectives of good status in ground- and surface waters, article 11.3 in WFD states that a review of, and if necessary updates of, the measures to prevent and control the use of pesticides should be performed and included in the River Basin Management Plans (RBMPs). The national regulation in order to reach the objectives should be described and this legal baseline of basic measures to prevent and control the use of pesticides according to the directive (2009/128/EC) of sustainable use of pesticides should be identified in the program of measures that the member states are finalising in December 2015 according to WFD. Furthermore, according to WFD risk based (operational) monitoring programs should be designed in order to follow the need of measures in order to reduce pollutants in ground- and surface waters. These costs of monitoring are within the member states to a various extent covered by the public and the pesticide users. The implementation of the WFD has been running for the first management cycle and there are various implementation gaps in member states depending on prerequisites and national problems and opportunities. IMPEL network plans to exchange plans and strategies for facilitating further implementation of the WFD in national law in order to achieve a harmonized balance between obligatory and voluntary measures and a harmonised use of the polluter pays principle when costs of monitoring are to be shared.

The project aims to facilitate the exchange of knowledge and experiences on:

• How member states are finding a balance between voluntary and obligatory measures;
• How member states are defining the legal baseline in order to achieve objectives in WFD;
• Design of risk based monitoring of pesticides;
• How voluntary agri-environment commitments are delivering in terms of reducing pesticide concentrations in water.