Waters / International Cooperation
The Office for the Environment participates in the following international commissions:
- International Commission for the Protection of Lake Constance (IGKB)
- International Commission for the Protection of the Rhine (IKSR) and Coordination Committee for the Implementation of the Water Framework Directive in the Rhine River Basin
- International Intergovernmental Commission on the Alpine Rhine (IRKA)
- International Plenipotentiary Conference for Lake Constance Fisheries (IBKF)
Water Framework Directive
With the Water Framework Directive (WFD), the European Union has been providing a regulatory framework for coordinated protection and management of surface waters and groundwater since 2000. in 2007, the WFD was incorporated into the EEA Agreement and implemented into national law in 2011 with an amendment to the Water Protection Act (GSchG). With the WFD, a holistic, integrated approach to the protection of water bodies and water as a resource is being pursued in the EU.
Management plan and program of measures
On Oct. 29, 2019, the government approved the draft report "Management Plan and Program of Measures under Water Framework Directive"
The management plan specifies and updates the contents of the inventory from 2015. For this purpose, the various quality components for the assessment of the ecological and chemical status of the water bodies were examined and evaluated in depth. An important basis for the assessment of the water bodies is the definition of the natural reference status for the various quality components. The program of measures presents the measures required to achieve and maintain the environmental objectives of "good ecological and chemical status" or "good ecological potential".
Inventory and monitoring program
On April 28, 2015, Liechtenstein submitted the report "Inventory and Monitoring Program." The report provides an overview of the status of surface waters and groundwater. In addition, it addresses the economic importance of water. The report further includes a monitoring program and an assessment of whether the ecological quality objectives can be achieved and serves as the basis for the management plan and the program of measures.