All the measures to be taken for the protection and improvement of water quality in a river basin will be specified in a programme of measures to be established under article 11 of the water framework directive. The programme of measures will be incorporated in the river basin management plan to be produced under article 13 of the directive.
I am committed to full implementation of the water framework directive, which provides a comprehensive and systematic framework for the co-ordinated and sustainable management of waters on the basis of river basins throughout the European Union. In addition to co-ordination at national level, officials of my Department and other authorities are participating in working groups, research projects and other initiatives to promote consistent and co-ordinated implementation of the WFD at regional level, on a North-South basis, and in the European Union. My Department is promoting, in particular, the establishment by local authorities of regional projects to develop river basin monitoring and management systems and to provide the bulk of the baseline data required for implementation of the directive and for development of river basin management plans. Three such projects have already been fully approved in relation to the eastern region, the south-eastern region and the Shannon River basin and are being funded by my Department. Proposals for projects in relation to the western region and the south-west region are currently under consideration in my Department.