Agricultural Diffuse Pollution and the EU Water Framework Directive: Problems and Progress in Governance

Abstract

Progress has been made on improving Europe’s water quality. Nevertheless, there is much scepticism as to whether the goals of the European Water Framework Directive will be realised by 2027. Addressing diffuse agricultural sources of pollution remains a persistent problem. The Special Issue “Water Quality and Agricultural Diffuse Pollution in Light of the EU Water Framework Directive” aims to advance the understanding of the different governance arrangements European Member States developed to address this problem. The contributions in this Special Issue focus on governance arrangements in Denmark, England, Flanders/Belgium, Germany, Ireland, Poland, The Netherlands, Norway and Scotland. The contributions address three themes. First, the contributions signal serious concerns with policy integration across policy domains. Second, it appears to be tough to prioritise source-based measures over effect-based measures of all sorts despite the principles embedded in the Directive. Third, scientific knowledge is an important ally for water interests, yet politicisation in power struggles looms. The contributions in the Special Issue offer reflections on the open, participatory, experimentalist governance that the WFD exemplifies. While most authors agree that this path is attractive and appropriate in some respects, questions can be raised as to whether it also avoids confrontations and hampers the effectiveness of policies.

To See, or Not to See, That Is the Question: Studying Dutch Experimentalist Energy Transition Governance through an Evolutionary Lens

“…Furthermore, research on, for instance, the EU Water Framework Directive shows that decentralized implementation of governance practices, on the one hand, brings about more region-specific and tailor-made measures for limiting water pollution but, on the other hand, also gives rise to cases of problem avoidance rather than problem solving. In the long run, the experimentalist governance approach adopted in this context has led to less controversial, yet also less far-reaching and less integral policy measures, reducing the Directive's overall effectiveness to address the issue of water pollution [27][28][29]. Similar effectiveness issues have been reported regarding regional governance efforts for energyneutral housing initiatives in the Netherlands [30].…”

Ecosystem Degradation in Romania: Exploring the Core Drivers

“…To determine the main problems, as well as ways to reduce this pollution, farmers' opinions are very important [9]; the directives and policies offered by the EU constitute general solutions to this problem because without a well-written legislative framework, it will be difficult for farmers to discover on their own how to combat this phenomenon [10,11].…”

Institutional Issues around Agricultural Land-Use Control for Groundwater Conservation—A Long-Term Perspective

“…While a step in the right direction, such actions are not on their own capable of ensuring potable quality groundwater recharge [27,28]. The slow reaction of groundwater systems to external changes means that the benefits of land-use management for groundwater quality are also much delayed and tend to fall outside the timeframe of democratic governments.…”