D10: Impact of Contaminants - Hydromod

Integrated Water Resource Management for Important Deep European Lakes and their Catchment Areas
EUROLAKES
D10: Impact of Contaminants
FP5_Contract No.: EVK1-CT1999-00004
Version: 4.0
Date: 25/07/01
File: D10-vers.4.0.doc
Page 13 of 136
The First WFD Priority List
A proposal for a first priority list has been tabled by the Commission in February 2000
(COM (2000) 47 final/2 - 2000/0035 (COD)). It consists of 32 substances selected as a
result of a simplified risk-based procedure (Article 16.2) with the so-called COMMPS
procedure, which takes account inter alia of monitoring results and intrinsic substance
properties. 32 is an arbitrary number and is intended to reflect the Commission’s limited
administrative potential. It does not indicate that there are no more than 32 substances
of concern, but that the list of substances should be manageable, adding some new
ones every four years. Nevertheless, a number of shortcomings can be reported, requiring
improvements under COMMPS for its future application. For example, a great
number of substances for which no data were available at Community level from the
national monitoring programmes were left out. This situation applies to:
- about 60% of pesticides which are currently in use;
- all industrial chemicals which no company in the EU produces or imports in
quantities of over. 1,000 tonnes per year. This concerns about 8,000 to 10,000
substances for which appropriate data were not available in the IUCLID databank
when the COMMPS procedure was carried out;
- industrial chemicals produced or imported by fewer than four undertakings in the
EU in quantities superior to 1,000 tonnes per year (confidentiality of market
data).
As a consequence, the COMMPS procedure covered only 95 substances on the basis
of monitoring data and 123 substances on the basis of modelling data.
Amongst the 32 WFD priority substances, 3 are classified as UNECE POPs, 13 as
hazardous by OSPAR, which means that they are either POP-like substances or highly
toxic, persistent and bioaccumulative. Another 16 are selected under OSPAR 1998 and
2000 for priority action for a cessation of their releases by 2020. It should be very clear
that the priority substances that fulfil one of these selections should be identified as priority
hazardous substances. The Community has internationally committed itself to
cease emissions of these substances by 2020. 21 priority substances are in one of the
above-mentioned ‘hazardous’ categories and most of them are on different lists established
in Community legislation on dangerous/hazardous substances. At least these 21
substances should be identified as priority hazardous substances. The Parliament’s
rapporteur has pointed out that a further 7 substances prioritised by OSPAR in 2000
should be added to the WFD priority list, thus totalling 39 priority substances, 28 of
which are priority hazardous substances.
Repeal of Existing Standards
The Dangerous Substances Directive (76/464/EEC) will be repealed 13 years after the
date of entry into force of the WFD. Article 22(6) states that the quality standards established
under the Water Framework Directive shall be at least as stringent as those
required for implementation of the Dangerous Substances Directive. It is unclear, however,
whether this clause guarantees an identical level of water protection under the