- European Commission publishes worrying facts about the state of surface waters in Germany and Europe
- Global Nature Fund (GNF) and European Living Lakes Association (ELLA) call on the German government to act quickly
- Urgent call for consistent implementation of the Natural Climate Protection Action Program in Germany
Radolfzell, 05.02.2025: Current EU reports on water protection reveal a catastrophic state of surface waters in Germany and Europe. A quarter of a century after the Water Framework Directive (WFD) came into force in 2000, EU member states are still not taking the protection of natural resources seriously enough. Global Nature Fund (GNF) and the European Living Lakes Association (ELLA) see no trend towards improvement. The organizations are therefore calling for consistent implementation of the Natural Climate Protection Action Programme in Germany to restore the good ecological and chemical status of water bodies in Germany and Europe.
Three out of four surface waters in Europe are in poor chemical status and two out of five are in poor ecological status. This is revealed by the new report on water protection in the EU, which was published yesterday by the Commission. “The EU report shows that we are up to our necks when it comes to clean water,” says Dr. Thomas Schaefer, Head of Living Lakes at the Global Nature Fund.
The situation in Germany is even worse than the EU average: according to the EU report, not even one in ten water bodies meets the required minimum criteria for good water status. Excessive amounts of fertilizers and increasingly toxic pesticides are still being used in agriculture and applied to land. Added to this are emissions from industry and power plants, which do not even stop at borders. The EU report makes it clear that Germany is struggling to achieve the objectives of the Water Framework Directive. “For 25 years, the sensible objectives of the WFD have been repeatedly missed. Although some good work has been done at the official level, the failure in water protection must be blamed on the seven federal governments and the many EU commissions that have been responsible during this period,” emphasizes Udo Gattenlöhner, Chairman of the ELLA Association. According to EU law, good status was initially supposed to be achieved by 2015. This deadline was then extended to 2027. The report shows that we are still not anywhere near on the right path to getting all of Europe’s waters clean. The consequences for people and nature are difficult to assess. Water levels in Germany and Central Europe still appear to be less affected by the increasingly unpredictable rainfall and droughts – in stark contrast to many other EU countries such as Spain and Greece. However, the drought years 2018 to 2020 show that this can change quickly here too.
GNF and ELLA demand the consistent implementation of the EU Water Framework Directive and the restoration of the natural water balance of the landscape throughout the EU.
The central demands resulting from the EU report can only be underlined:
- Substantial investment in water restoration, nature-based solutions and fair water prices are needed
- The risks posed by climate change, droughts and floods must be reliably integrated in order to achieve better resilience
- Exceptions in the achievement of targets must become the exception and cannot remain the rule; infringement proceedings such as those in the Fertilizer Regulation cannot be accepted
- Limit values for pollution from agriculture and other sectors must be adhered to, and wastewater must not be discharged unhindered;
- Especially in arid regions, water must be reused to prevent the overuse of water resources. Illegal withdrawals must be stopped, also to alleviate droughts
About Global Nature Fund (GNF)
The Global Nature Fund (GNF) is an international foundation registered in Germany with many years of experience in the implementation of water projects. The GNF is committed to sustainable global development within planetary boundaries through worldwide nature and environmental protection projects. The aim is to promote a healthy planet and intact biological diversity as the basis of life for people and nature. The GNF focuses on nature conservation, climate protection, water protection and economy & sustainability.
About European Living Lakes Association (ELLA)
The European Living Lakes Association (ELLA) is a non-profit association integrated into the GNF’s international Living Lakes network and was founded in 2022 thanks to the support of the European Union’s LIFE program for NGOs under the Green Deal (NGO4GD).
Ten European NGO partners of the Living Lakes Network from seven countries (Estonia, Spain, Italy, Germany, Hungary, Poland and Turkey) are currently involved in ELLA. The aim of ELLA is to put the protection of wetlands on the political agenda and to empower civil society organizations to improve the protection of freshwater ecosystems. ELLA works closely with scientific institutions, authorities and other relevant stakeholders to promote wetland restoration, environmental education, research and the improvement of the legal framework.