In March 2015, the Commission published its 4th Water Framework Directive (WFD) implementation report assessing Member States Programmes of Measures (PoMs) and taking stock of the status of the implementation of the Floods Directive. Thanks to the assessments, meetings, and the successive Common Implementation Strategy (CIS) Work Programmes, the information base and technical tools for the implementation of the WFD and related directives are now both solid and comprehensive. The work must be continued.

The European Commission DG ENV together with European Water Directors in their upcoming meeting on 25-27 November 2015, is planning to adopt new CIS (Common Implementation Strategy) Work Programme for the period 2016-2018.

The  main three objectives of a new WP are:

·         Improving the implementation of the WFD and coordination of the other water-related directives and facilitating the implementation of floods directive

·         Increasing the integration of water to the other environmental and sectoral policy objectives, particularly nature, agriculture, transport, energy, disaster and risk prevention, research and regional development;

·         Contributing, to fill in possible gaps and to identify potential improvements within the EU framework on water, including contributions towards the 2019 review of the WFD.

There is a broad agreement that the CIS should focus on best practice exchange, on the use of existing tools and experience-sharing and less on the development of new guidance/technical tools.

In the new Work Programme CIS structure there will be five Working Groups for the 2016-2018 period: Ecostat (ecological status), Groundwater, Chemicals, Floods, Data and Information Sharing. They are selected on the basis of their key role in supporting the delivery of legal WFD obligations, including the support to policy development and they are expected to remain active during the whole period of the Work Programme.

The main tasks will focus on:

·         Hydromorphology: Best practice and guidance on dealing with hydromorphological issues(2016-2017)

·         Water Reuse: Guidance on water reuse planning and management; feedback on minimum requirements to be developed by the JRC and other actions (2016)

·         Water quantity

·         Support to the 2019 WFD review (2018)

It should be underlined that in 2016 there will be two priorities relevant to Flanders: development and progress on the work on priority substances, on groundwater, and on water reuse.

On priority substances (stays a high priority topic) the following tasks and deliverables are planned by DG ENV:

·         New Priority Substances (PS) review: Possible de-listing of PS will be considered. Short-list of substances will be needed in 2016. Update of the technical guidance document on Environmental Quality Standards (TGD EQS) if consensus reachable in time for EQS derivation is planned by end 2016.

·         Effect-based tools; and links between chemical and ecological status; mixtures. Possible follow-up of estrogen-screening project.

·         Guidance on implementing metals EQS is planned for 2016-2017 starting with the workshop on the subject in early summer of 2016.

·         Review of the watch list is planned to be finished in the first half of 2017.

On groundwater the following tasks and deliverables are planned:

·         Methodologies to establish threshold values with the foreseen technical report.

·         Preparation for the review of WFD and Groundwater Directive(GWD) Annexes on threshold values, compliance regime methodologies.

·         Establish a voluntary watch list for groundwater and to develop a procedure on how to identify substances to be subject to the voluntary GW watch list.

On water reuse: after the Commission’s publication of the roadmap in September 2015 on water reuse, the following timetable for the development of the guidance document (version 1.0 has been produced in October 2015) is foreseen:

·         Drafting group with 6-10 experts from the member states (volunteers so far are from MT, IT, DE and CEEP) will start working on the version 2.0 of the guidance in early December 2015.

·         Early February 2016: 2nd meeting of the drafting group on version 3.0, spring 2016: consultation within the framework of WFD CIS  on version 4.0.

·         May 2016: version 5.0 will be ready for possible endorsement by Water Directors.

All the documents linked to water reuse are available to download from: http://ec.europa.eu/environment/water/reuse.htm