Strategic issues - European union

The European Union Commission has presented a new strategy to protect and improve the state of Europe's biodiversity over the next decade. The annual Bathing Water Report from the European Environment Agency (EEA) and the European Commission, which compares water quality in coastal and inland bathing sites across the EU-27, has been published. The Urban Wastewaster Treatment Directive requires Member States to ensure that agglomerations of more than 10,000 inhabitants are required to have systems for collecting and treating their waste water in place by 1998. The Water Framework Directive requires Member States to publish a management plan for each river district by 22 December 2009 at the latest. The Priority Substances Directive refines the requirements of the Water Framework Directive and sets limits for certain substances and groups of substances that are known to pose a substantial risk to the aquatic environment.