The history of EU water law

Marleen van Rijswick

Chapter 2 in Research Handbook on EU Water Law, 2026, pp 10-19 from Edward Elgar Publishing

Abstract: This chapter describes the history and development of EU water law. The initial aim of EU water law was mainly economic, and it was developed to create a level playing field throughout the European Community. The protection of human health was a separate aim throughout this development. Water law is part of EU environmental law, and over the years it has gained importance as a separate policy field in which environmental protection is an aim in itself. The scope of EU water law has expanded from mainly protecting socio-economic interests to integrating environmental and health concerns and managing ecosystems in EU water management; now, the first steps are being taken towards a social-ecological resilience paradigm. The WFD is holistic and integrative, focusing on the management of river-basin districts and using not only legal instruments but also stronger governance, an idea which is now at the forefront of EU water law. The chapter discusses the policy instruments that have been used and shows the relevance of the older Water Directives to explain the scope of the WFD, which is now the core legal instrument.

Keywords: Water Law; European Union; River-Basin Management; Adaptive Water Management; Effectiveness (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2026
ISBN: 9781035336425
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