Water Legal Provisions with Special Focus on the Quality of Fresh Waters Needing Protection or Improvement in Border to Support Fish Life: Considerations on Romania’s Progress

Abstract

"The article argues the necessity of a coherent legal framework in the field of water protection with a special focus on the Fresh Water Fish Directive and on the Water Framework Directive. The WFD retains all the obligations established under the Fish Directive, but put them into a more unitary framework covering all waters. The poor transposition and the lack of economic analysis are the biggest gaps in WFD implementation so far, nevertheless important improvements have been observed in some regions, such as the Danube. Further progress is needed in areas like integration of water policy into other policies. Together with the water-related directives that are still under negotiation, the WFD provides all the tools needed to achieve a sustainable water management in the EU for years to come."