Wasserrahmenrichtlinie - Wege aus der Umsetzungskrise

In 2000, by signing up to the EU’s Water Framework Directive, the European Member States committed themselves to restoring the ecological quality of their surface waters to a high level. However, since the 2015 deadline to do this expired, Germany has achieved the ecological quality objectives of the Directive in only 8 % of its surface water bodies, and significant progress is not yet in sight. Using the German State of Lower Saxony as an example, this study shows that this tremendous lack of headway is mainly due to shortcomings in organisation, funding and implementation. Against this backdrop, the study shows that effective organisation, funding and implementation are crucial parts of Germany’s obligation to adhere to the Water Framework Directive. On that basis, the authors develop concepts and suggestions aimed at improving the relevant institutional arrangements to fulfil the Directive’s stipulations.