It appears that the deadlock between the European Parliament and Council on the terms of the much discussed proposed Water Framework Directive was broken at the end of June.The breaking of the deadlock required use of the conciliation procedure.

Under what appeared to be intense pressure, the 30-member conciliation committee (15 members from the European Parliament and 15 from the Council) eventually reached agreement.While that agreement must now be put to the Council and the European Parliament, it seems highly unlikely that either the Council or the European Parliament will reject it.

Most commentators suggest that in this final round of discussions more ground was conceded by the Council than by the European Parliament.Several fundamental environment concepts are to be found in this Directive.

Not surprisingly, sustainable use of water resources is a central concept.So also is integration.

This appears in several respects.

There is to be an integrated approach to the protection and management of water resources.

There must also be development of an integrated EU policy on water and that policy must be integrated with policies on energy, transport, agriculture, fisheries, tourism and with the regional policies.The 'polluter pays' principle is applicable.

There are, for instance, particular provisions relating to the recovery of the costs of water services.

These costs should include environmental and resource costs and should be payable (with some qualifications) by the water user.The purpose of the Directive is to establish a framework for the protection of inland surface water, transitional and coastal waters and ground water.

Obviously there is overlap with many other Directives (some of which will have to be amended or reappealed), including the Directives on integrated pollution prevention and control, urban waste water treatment, nitrates, bathing water, birds, drinking water, major accidents, environmental impact assessment, sewage sludge, habitats, and discharges of mercury, cadmium, hexachlorocyclohexane and dangerous substances.An essential objective of the Directive is that member states are to achieve good water status (about which there are several definitions, articles and annexes) within 15 years of the Directive coming into force.There was considerable dispute between the European Parliament and the Council in this regard.

The European Parliament wanted the objective to be legally binding, whereas the Council sought to express the objective as an aim rather than a legal obligation.Some of the public commentary on the Conciliation Committee's agreement on this aspect is confusing.

The majority of commentators suggest that the European Parliament won the debate.

In any event, the express terms of the agreement will be interesting in this regard.With regard to pollution prevention and control, the policy behind the Directive is to adopt a combined approach.There must be controls of pollution at source through the setting of emission limit values and environmental quality standards are to be set.

Detailed provisions on both of these aspects are contained in the proposed Directive.The discharge to water of hazardous substances was another area of dispute between the European Parliament and Council.

It appears that the European Parliament succeeded in securing agreement that discharges of hazardous substances (again, there are detailed provisions in the Directive in this regard) are to cease or be phased out within 20 years.Further, a daughter directive relating to reversing the trend in pollution of ground water is to be subsequently drafted by the Commission.A key to achieving the purpose and objectives of the Directive is that regulation and management of the water resources is to be based on river basins.

Competent authorities will be required to draw up, review and update river basin management plans.Active involvement by all interested parties in that process is to be encouraged by member states.Background documents and information used in the development of the draft river basin management plans, together with the plans themselves, are to be made available to the public.