Full Journal of Contemporary Water Research and Education, Issue ...

84Barreirawith other states for international waters.in other parts of the world 12 .Roadmap to Achieve Good Water StatusIn order to reach the overriding goal of thedirective, that is to achieve good status in all waterbodies, member states must follow a specifiedprocess which is called the planning process.The roadmap to achieve those objectives startswith an estimate of the status of water bodies toassess the likelihood of them failing to meet theenvironmental quality objectives set for themunder Article 4 in accordance with the provisions ofArticle 5 (characterization of river basin districts-RBD). Such an estimate had to be finished by 22December 2004.Following the results of the characterizationof river basin districts, the status of water bodiesis being classified using information from themonitoring programs according to Article 8.This exercise must be finalized by 22 December2006. Finally, the status of water bodies must bereported in the River Basin Management Plans tobe complete by 22 December 2009. Based on theresults of the monitoring programs for those waterbodies being at risk of failing to meet good status, aprogram of measures will be prepared. The purposeof setting a goal of measures being operational by22 December 2012 is to help in achieving goodstatus by the year 2015. After this, a new planningprocess must commence.ConclusionsThe Water Framework Directive introducednew standards, criteria, institutions, and processesfor managing Europe’s waters under an integratedecosystem-based approach. It provides anexemplary legal document that binds togetherfragmented environmental legislation undercommon ecosystem-based criteria and planningprocesses. In spite of existing challenges inimplementing this directive, the assessment ofprogress toward compliance deadlines can beviewed as positive since the majority of memberstates have carried out the tasks required by theWater Framework Directive roadmap 11 . Theimplications of the water Framework Directive arefar-fetched and beyond the limits of Europe as itsets out a new legal and institutional approach towater management that may be useful and adoptedAuthor Bio and Contact InformationANA BARREIRA is a law graduate who holds twoMaster of Laws (LL.M) degrees: in environmental lawfrom London University (1993) and in internationallegal studies from New York University (1996). Shedirects a Spanish non-profit organization, the InstitutoInternacional de Derecho y Medio Ambiente workingin diverse fields of environmental law and policy. Sheworked in the solicitors firm Allen & Overy in London.From September 2001 to June 2002 providing legaladvice to the Spanish Ministry of Environment for theEU Spanish Presidency. During 2005-2006 she advisedthe Republic of Serbia and the Republic of Montenegroin the preparation of their respective Water Laws as partof a project funded by the World Bank. Since October2003, she has served as the president of the IWRA-Spanish Committee and a member of the EditorialBoard of Water International. She can be contacted at:Instituto Internacional de Derecho y Medio Ambiente,C/ Campoamor 13, 1º Izda, 28004 Madrid- Spain, Tel.+34-91-308 68 46, Fax: +34-91-3914073, ana.barreira@iidma.org.Endnotes1.2.3.4.5.6.7.Directive 2000/60EC of the European Parliamentand of the Council of 23 October 2000 establishinga framework for Community action in the field ofwater policy (OJ L 327 of 22.12.2000).The member states of the European Union are:Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Czech Republic,Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany,Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania,Luxembourg, Malta, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia,Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, the Netherlands, UnitedKingdom.The European Commission is a kind of executivepower, the Council and the Parliament holdingthe legislative function and the European Court ofJustice represents the judiciary.Costa v. Ente Nationale Per L’Energia Elettrica(ENEL) Case 6/64, [1964] ECR 585.As required by the principle of subsidiarity.Article 176 of the Treaty establishing the EuropeanCommunity (TEC 2004).A directive shall be binding, as to the result to beachieved, upon each Member State to which it isaddressed, but shall leave to the national authoritiesthe choice of form and methods (Article 249 of theTEC).UCOWRJOURNAL OF CONTEMPORARY WATER RESEARCH & EDUCATION