Descrizione 1
Filippo Bianchi, Luigi Di Micco, Saverio Venturelli
The Water Framework Directive, 2000/60/EC (WFD) requires the review and update of River Basin Management Plans (RBMPs) within 15 years of the directive’s entry into force and subsequently every six years (Article 13). Accordingly, to develop the planning cycle for the 2015-2021 period, the review and update of the first RBMPs adopted in 2010, began in 2012. This process was completed with the approval of the plans between March and June 2016. Subsequently, the second update of the RBMPs began, as required by Article 117, paragraph 2bis of Legislative Decree 152/2006. This update was finalized in December 2021 with the adoption of the RBMPs (for all river basin districts) by the Permanent Institutional Conference.
The Water Protection Plans (WPPs) are the plans through which regions, based on the objectives set at the river basin district level by the RBMPs, define the measures to ensure the achievement or maintenance of water bodies' quality objectives and the necessary actions for their qualitative and quantitative protection at the regional level.
To date, three Regions and the Autonomous Provinces of Trento and Bolzano have an updated WPP based on the 2021 RBMPs. Another seven regions have a WPP adopted or approved after the publication of the 2015 RBMPs. The remaining nine Regions have a WPP predating the 2015 RBMPs.
In 2024, none of the regions with a WPP approved or updated before the 2021 RBMP has aligned their WPP with the latest management cycle of the RBMP and its related updates.
This indicator provides information on the progress of River Basin Management Plans (RBMPs) and regional Water Protection Plans (WPPs). The evolution of planning and programming related to the qualitative and quantitative protection of water resources derives from a process of adapting national legislation to EU regulations, particularly the Water Framework Directive (WFD), transposed into Italian law by Legislative Decree 152/2006, Part III, and subsequent amendments.
The core concept of the WFD is the integrated management of water at the river basin district scale, overcoming administrative boundaries, implemented through a new governance tool subject to periodic review and update: the River Basin Management Plan (RBMP). The RBMP serves as the operational tool through which measures for the protection, restoration, and improvement of surface and groundwater bodies are planned, implemented, and monitored, while also promoting the sustainable use of water resources.
The first RBMPs (approved in 2010) were based on regional Water Protection Plans, whose role in the new regulatory framework has gradually shifted from an overarching plan to an implementation tool for district planning.
Article 13, paragraph 7, of the WFD stipulates that the first RBMPs must be reviewed and updated within fifteen years of the directive's entry into force and subsequently every six years. Therefore, the national River Basin Authorities—abolished following the reform introduced by Ministerial Decree No. 294 of 25/10/2016, which came into force on 17/02/2017—completed the first review and update process in 2016, taking into account:
- The content of the 2010 RBMPs, to comply with EU and national water regulations.
- The results of the European Commission's assessments of the 2010 RBMPs.
- The review and updates (completed by 2013) concerning the analysis of district characteristics, water usage, and the impacts of human activities on water status (Article 5 of the WFD).
At the end of 2018, the District Authorities began the process for the third planning cycle (2021-2027) by officially launching the update of the 2015-2021 RBMPs. This process, initiated with the publication of the "Work Calendar and Program" by the District Authorities, concluded in December 2021 with the adoption of the 2021-2027 RBMPs.
Public participation and consultation were once again crucial throughout the decision-making process, as in previous planning and update phases.
The 2021 RBMPs provide the most up-to-date framework on the status of surface and groundwater bodies within river basin districts. They include a characterization of river basins, identifying pressures and impacts on water bodies. Additionally, the RBMPs outline environmental objectives for water bodies, as well as management measures and monitoring programs.
Regarding WPPs, since they serve as implementation tools for the district-level RBMPs at a regional scale, most Regions and Autonomous Provinces have started reviewing their plans that were adopted or approved before the 2015 RBMPs or have implemented partial updates. Some regions and autonomous provinces have already updated their WPPs to align with the contents of the 2021 RBMPs.
To provide insights into the progress of RBMPs and WPPs to monitor the implementation of planning tools related to the proper qualitative and quantitative management and protection of water resources at different spatial scales.
Water Framework Directive, 2000/60/EC, Legislative Decree 152/06 and subsequent amendments, and its implementing decrees.
The objective of the RBMPs/WPPs is to "identify and plan" measures aimed at protecting, improving, and restoring the status of all water bodies, implementing all necessary actions to achieve "good status" at the district, regional, or provincial scale.
According to current regulations, "good status" is defined as the condition in which the values of quality elements associated with a certain "type" of water body are comparable to those generally associated with that type in an undisturbed state. Therefore, the general objective of RBMPs, and consequently WPPs, is to maintain or restore a water body to a qualitative state that deviates only "slightly" from conditions free of anthropogenic impact.
This is achieved through the implementation of a program of measures, which must be explicitly outlined to integrate all aspects of water resource management and protection. These aspects include the characteristics of the reference territory, the analysis of pressures and their impacts on the status of surface and groundwater, and the economic analysis of water use.
Descrizione 2
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Qualificazione dati
The institutional sites of the District Basin regions and authorities have been used. Institutional sites report the plan documentation and updates that follow one another over time. There is also information on the initiation of the plans to update processes. The sites used are of public consultation.
National, Regional
October 2024
Qualificazione indicatore
The indicator is developed and updated based on information obtained from the official websites of the River Basin Authorities and regional institutions, specifically reporting the number of plans adopted and/or approved and those under review.
In 2024, none of the regions with a WPP approved or updated before the 2021 RBMP has aligned their WPP with the latest RBMP management cycle and its related updates.
In 2024, no changes were observed compared to the previous year. The stability of the trend indicates a certain stagnation in the actions that should be undertaken by various regions to identify measures aimed at safeguarding water resources both qualitatively and quantitatively.
Dati
Table 1: Progress of District Management Plans
Internet sites of district basin authorities
Table 2: State of progress of Water Protection Plans
Websites of autonomous regions / provinces and regional / provincial agencies for the protection of the environment
Figure 1: Hydrographic Districts
Authority of the Basin
Figure 2: Overview of updating regional water conservation plans
Websites of autonomous regions / provinces and regional / provincial agencies for the protection of the environment
Table 3: Overview of updating regional water conservation plans
Websites of autonomous regions / provinces and regional / provincial agencies for the protection of the environment
The RBMPs for all districts have been updated in accordance with current regulations (Table 1). The update status of regional/provincial WPPs is more heterogeneous, as shown in Table 2. Some regions and autonomous provinces have updated their WPPs following the publication of the 2021 RBMPs. In addition to Piedmont, the province of Bolzano, and Abruzzo (updated in 2022), in 2023, the province of Trento and Puglia also updated their WPPs to align with the 2021 RBMP.
Among the regions with WPPs predating the 2015 RBMPs, five out of nine (Aosta Valley, Veneto, Marche, Tuscany, and Sicily) are in the process of updating their WPPs or have carried out updates in recent years (Table 3, Figure 2).