Hidrológiai Közlöny, 2017 (97. évfolyam)

2017 / 3. szám - TRANSNATIONAL EFFORTS - Kovács Ádám: Agricultural development and good water status in the Danube River Basin - A contradiction?

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12 Hidrológiai Közlöny (Hungarian Journal of Hydrology) 2017. 97. évf. 3. sz.

Figure 3. Rural and urban specificnutrient emissions in the Danube countries for 2009-2012;on the left: total Nin kg per hectare and year, on the right: total P in g per hectare and year (Source: 1CPDR 2015)

Discussion

Upgrading wastewater treatment plants with nutrient removal technology at agglomerations above 10,000 population equivalents, application ofphosphate-free detergents and implementation of best agricultural practices in agriculture are measures currentlybeing implementedin the Danube countries to reduce nutrient pollution.These measures have been substantially contributing to the reduction of nutrient inputsinto surface waters and ground- water in the DRB but further efforts are still needed. Continuation ofmeasure implementation in urban wastewater, industrial, market production and agricultural sectors isnecessary in the next WFD management periods. Since diffuse pathways and agricultural sources have a remarkable share in the total nutrient emissions, implementation of measures addressing agricultural practices and land management has particular importance.The lCPDR's current activities to facilitate the implementation of the JPM set in the DRBMP - Update 2015 have a strong focus on the reduction of the nutrient pollution of the Danube River, its tributaries and the Black Sea coastal and marine waters to avoid future deterioration of the Black Sea ecosystem and further reaching good status.

With regard to agriculture, in the EU MS the Nitrates Directive (ND) and the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP)are the most relevant pieces of legislation, which have a strong connection to water quality protection (OJ 1991, 2013a, b). In the non-EU MS only several analogous regulatory elements are available. These countriesare either lagging behind with establishing a similar legislative background or preparing the administrative and legal framework as part of their accession process to the EU. The ND requires designation of Nitrate Vulnerable Zones (NVZ) that are hydraulically connected to waters polluted by nitrate or sensitive for nitrate pollution or alternatively,to apply the whole territory approach. In the zones (or over the whole territory) the amount of nitrate that is- applied on agricultural fields in fertilizer or manure is limited and the application is strictly regulated throughaction programmes with basic mandatory measures.Moreover, codes of good agriculturalpractices are also recommended to be respected outside the NVZs on voluntary basis to ensure low nitrogenemissions entering the groundwater and river network. As of 2015 on more than 60% of the agricultural areas of the DRB nitrate action programs with strict rules on manure and fertilizer application are being implemented (ICPDR 2015). Thanks to these provisions,

but also to the economic recession in many Danube countries resulted inter alia in low agricultural intensity, the nutrient surpluses (gross balance) of the agricultural fields are rather low, except some countries where still high amounts of manure and fertilizers are applied on agricultural soils. On the contrary, in countries with less economic power, the surplus values are very small or even negative indicating lack of nutrient inputs which is compensated by the soil stocks accumulated over the previous years. However, future river basin management activities should take into account that the economy and the agricultural sector might be strong again,which might lead to higher surplus values and water emissions that would need appropriate management (ICPDR 2015).

The CAP provides a multi-pillar financing mechanism for farmers to ensure the sustainable development of agricultural and rural areas. CAP subsidies consist oftwo main pillars. Direct paymentsare linked to compliance with compulsory measures upon basic standards on environmental sustainability, animal health and welfare and food safety (cross-complianceincluding statutory management requirements, good agricultural and environmental conditions and“greening”). Measures under greening are related to environmental friendly farming practices includingcrop diversification, maintenance of permanent grassland and conservation of areas of ecological interest. Funds for voluntary measures under the rural developmentpro- grammesaim at strengthening competitiveness, protecting environment, ensuring vitality of rural communitiesand modernising farms by innovations.Agri-environmental measures help farmers to overcome the challenges of soil and water quality, biodiversity and climate changeby supporting environmentally friendly practices, organic farming and sustainable innovations.In the current financing period 2014-2020more than 40 billion and 25 billion EUR will be invested in the DRB countriesby the EU from the two CAP pillars (direct payment and rural development), respectively (OJ 2013c). Out of these funds, more than 30%will be spent for greening and agri-environmental measures.

Although the legislative and financial framework to manage agriculture related water quality issues has long been established, there are several concerns related to the feasibility, efficiency and controllability of these policies.In many Danube countries, there is a significant number of small farms working on a few hectares, which are highly depending on EU or national subsidies but have