Southern Romania Among EU Regions With High Nitrate Level In Groundwater – EC Report

„The agricultural use of nitrates in organic and chemical fertilizers has been a major source of water pollution in Europe,” the report says, adding that while „nitrates are a vital nutrient to help plants and crops grow, high concentrations are harmful to people and nature,” the European Commission said in a press release.

„[The] report on the implementation of the Nitrates Directive, which aims to control pollution and improve water quality, shows a trend towards steady or falling nitrate concentrations within the EU. (…) However, despite these encouraging trends, the report reveals a number of regions where nitrate levels are worrying,” the Commission said.

The EC’s report says that high nitrate concentrations are found in groundwater in parts of Estonia, south-east Netherlands, Belgium (Flanders), UK (England), several parts of France, northern Italy, north-east Spain, south-east Slovakia, southern Romania, Malta and Cyprus. Particularly high concentrations are found in surface waters in Malta, UK (England), Belgium (Flanders) and France (Brittany).

The report concludes that the level of nitrates in groundwater has decreased in all 27 EU member states and that legislation against ground and surface water nitrate pollution has been implemented successfully.

However, the EC says nitrate concentration exceeds water quality limits in many areas, and calls on farmers to adopt sustainable farming practices. The Commission adds that there are still significant challenges to overcome before abiding by water quality standards.

More than 300 different action programs are in force across the EU and the quality of these programs is improving, the report says. Measures include periods when fertilization is prohibited, minimum storage for livestock manure, and rules to control the spread of nutrients near water or on slopes to reduce the risk of contamination.

According to the Commission, EU member states have designated territories vulnerable to nitrate pollution to which specific action programs apply. Some Member States (Austria, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Ireland, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands and Slovenia) have decided to apply action programs to the whole territory to provide the same level of protection countrywide.

A report on the implementation of the Directive is developed every four years, based on information provided by national authorities. In 2008-2009, all 27 Member States made formal submissions for the period 2004-2007.