On 16 October 2018, the first of three workshops was held on Exemptions in the Water Framework Directive. When do we use Article 4.7 as a consequence of a marked morphological change in the water body?
More than 30 participants, spread over the three regions and various stakeholder groups (water managers, Natuurpunt and several consulting firms), participated in the discussion. The meeting was organised by Brussels Environment and moderated by experts from the Flanders Environment Agency, Brussels Environment and Public Service of Wallonia.
No ready-made solutions
Using manuals and examples, the workshop explained how Art. 4.7 and the Weser ruling in Germany should be interpreted and applied. It became clear from the workshop that a ready-made solution applicable to all projects does not exist. Each project must be evaluated in its own right and assessed as to whether an exemption in the form of Article 4.7 is necessary and applicable. A knowledge exchange between the experts from the various regions is therefore essential in arriving at a more general assessment framework for making projects “Weser-proof”.
View the presentation here.
