Law of 30 December 2006 on water and aquatic environments

Law transposing, in particular, the objectives of the 2000 Water Framework Directive (WFD), which harmonises the European regulation on water management and introduces the obligation to protect and restore the quality of water and aquatic environments in the European Union. Environmental objectives must therefore be set for all aquatic environments (rivers, lakes, coastal waters - coastal and transitional waters - and groundwater) by 2015: achievement of good water status, no deterioration of resources and reduction or elimination of discharges of hazardous substances. The novelty of the concept of "good status" now relies on the proper functioning of aquatic environments taking into account all components of the environments: water, wildlife, flora and habitats. The 2006 Water and Aquatic Environments Act also improves the organisation of public water and sanitation services and modernises the organisation of freshwater fishing. It also contains numerous provisions on the organisation of water resources management - especially the strengthening of local management, the control of non-point source pollution, the recovery of the ecological quality of watercourses, the reinforcement of water police, etc.