Commission report on the implementation of the Council Directive of 12 December 1991 concerning the protection of waters against pollution caused by nitrates from agricultural sources (91/676/EEC)
19.3.2014
Question for written answer E-003255-14
to the Commission
Rule 117
Britta Reimers (ALDE)
On 4 October 2013, the Commission published a report to the Council and Parliament on the implementation of Council Directive 91/676/EEC concerning the protection of waters against pollution caused by nitrates from agricultural sources. In the case of Germany, the report cites a groundwater monitoring station density of less than one per 1 000 km2, which puts that country near the bottom of this category.
According to the German Federal Environment Agency (Umweltbundesamt), Germany has a network of 723 monitoring stations (2010 figure) that provide representative data for inclusion in regular reports to the European Environment Agency. In the context of the Commission report, however, readings were taken from only some 180 monitoring stations. The ‘station density’ identified for Germany in that report is not representative, therefore.
1. Was Parliament given inaccurate information by the Commission concerning the monitoring station density in Germany?
2. Does Janez Potočnik, the Commissioner for the Environment, regard the figure given for Germany’s monitoring station density as representative?
3. What are the densities (stations per 1 000 km2) of groundwater monitoring stations in the individual Member States?
OJ C 335, 25/09/2014