EU Policies for the reduction of nitrogen in water: the example of the Nitrates Directive

The European Community has been taking measures concerned with the nitrogen pollution of water for over twenty years. During the last ten years two very significant directives have been adopted, namely the Nitrates Directive and the Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive. The Nitrates Directive seeks to prevent the pollution of waters by nitrates from agricultural sources by requiring Member States to place mandatory restrictions on agricultural practices where these contribute to the nitrate pollution of waters. Implementation of this directive is severely behind schedule. This paper reviews the possible reasons for this before briefly considering the implications of these for a more integrated nitrogen policy.