Action 22001 - Monitoring across Policies and Environmental Media (MAPLE)
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| Waterways are also a pathway for new and less-investigated compounds to enter the environment |
Access to clean and safe water is a fundamental right. The UN has stressed the need to adopt measures to significantly reduce water pollution and increase water quality, improve wastewater treatment and water efficiency, and reduce water losses. Many of Europe’s freshwaters are at risk of not achieving the 2015 quality objectives of the EU’s Water Framework Directive (WFD). Research has shown how rapidly new substances end up in wastewater, rivers, groundwater, coastal waters and eventually drinking water. The processes behind and the risks posed by chemicals released to water must be scientifically assessed, and scientifically sound data and standardisation are needed to support the development of technological solutions to control discharges, emissions and losses of chemical pollutants to the aquatic environment.
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| Water supply systems need to be monitored to ensure appropriate water quality |
The MAPLE Action provides scientific support to the implementation and harmonisation of chemical monitoring and bio-diagnostic aspects of EU policies related to quality of freshwaters , coastal and marine waters. As a new development in 2013, it is also involved in the recently launched European Innovation Partnership (EIP) on Water. It co-chairs the sub-group on Chemical Monitoring and Emerging Pollutants under the WFD, coordinates the development of guidance material, carries out EU cross-media chemical concentration surveys, chairs Member State expert groups about the Drinking Water Directive, monitors pollutants and marine litter, promotes innovation by working with other relevant Commission
DGs, helps develop the EIP Water agenda, and provides standardisation support to the new Construction Products Regulation. The Action strives to improve access to quality-checked ‘fit-for-purpose’ chemical information for aquatic environments and helps assess new water treatment technologies. In a collaborative activity across the JRC, the Action engages in the design and development of an Information Platform for Chemical Monitoring (IPCheM) to promote a more coherent approach to the generation, collection, storage and use of chemical monitoring data in relation to exposure to humans and the environment at the European level.
Specific objectives of the Action
The three main objectives of the MAPLE Action in 2013 are to:
- Provide targeted datasets, measurement support and technical assistance on chemical monitoring for the implementation of EU-policies related to inland, coastal and marine waters.
- Provide the scientific lead on chemical monitoring, standardisation and quality assurance issues, perform and/or coordinate regional, pan-European and global surveys on chemical concentrations across media, and coordinate harmonisation of bioassays and chemical monitoring protocols with the goal of ensuring comparability of the data in policy implementation
- Cooperate with standardisation bodies and Member States to identify areas with the greatest potential for driving eco-innovation in the field of water.
Main customers
- DG Enterprise
- DG for Health and Consumers
- European Environment Agency (EEA)
- United Nations Environment Program (UNEP)
- European Committee for Standardization (CEN)
- International Union for Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC)
- National/Regional Authorities and Environment Agencies in Member States
- Regional Sea Conventions
EU Legislation and Documents supported by this Action
Further information
Contact Info:
Bernd Gawlik - Tel.: +39-0332-789487 E-mail: bernd.gawlik(at)jrc.ec.europa.eu
