Germany’s bodies of water have seen better days, with just 6.6 per cent of rivers and streams currently in what EU guidelines define as a “good ecological condition”.

In response to a parliamentary request for information from the Green Party, the government reported this week that, in 93 per cent of Germany’s rivers and streams, the proliferation of wildlife is below expected levels, while 79 per cent of them have been “significantly or completely changed” in structure by human intervention.

Though water quality has improved in general, and beavers and salmon have returned to German waters, streams and floodplains remain endangered habitats, said the environment ministry.

“Both the Federal Government and individual state authorities should do more to protect Germany’s free-flowing rivers,” said Steffi Lemke, the Green Party’s spokesperson on conservation, adding that the river was in “acute danger” as an ecosystem.

According to the Federal Office for the Environment, the biggest threat to rivers and streams comes from agriculture, and the effect of fertilisation and irrigation practices.

The environmental organisation WWF has demanded “more money, more personnel, and more political will” in order to combat the problems, and has criticised the European Commission’s ongoing review of the EU Water Framework Directive.

“The situation in Germany is now concerning, bordering on critical,” said a WWF spokesperson.</s>"As a society, we should not accept the cost of air pollution,” said EEA Executive Director Hans Bruyninckx. "It is encouraging to see that many European governments and specifically cities are showing leadership in protecting people's health by improving air quality."

Never before has it been more important to monitor air pollution levels and ensure this information is shared so that efficient action can be taken. Copernicus, the European Union’s earth observation programme, is working with public authorities and policymakers to provide data to form new policies, as well as responding quickly and efficiently in the event of a climate emergency.

There is a lot that European countries can do to limit air pollution in major cities. “For a long time, air quality information was confined to specialists. But there is now more appetite from the general public also to have access to this information,” says Vincent-Henri Peuch, head of the Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service. “The Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service provides data and analysis so that national and local authorities can take informed action, taking into account the wider European context and medium- to long-range transport of pollution.”

European city authorities have long been aware of the importance of air quality, and networks have been established to monitor the levels of several regulatory pollutants. Increasingly, forecast information is now becoming available in cities to warn citizens about upcoming events. There is, for instance, the AirText service, which is operational in London in the UK, and, more recently, in Riga, Latvia: this is a smartphone app and text service, which alerts registered users if pollution thresholds are expected to be reached, so that they can take appropriate action, particularly by reducing their exposure. It is done by combining the information provided by Copernicus on a regional level with information about local sources of pollution. “This is a good example of what we want to achieve: Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service helps design effective systems to inform people about the air they are breathing in their local area,” says Vincent-Henri Peuch.

To further help to inform the public and to raise awareness, in December 2017 Copernicus joined forces with euronews to launch a daily exclusive sixty-second air quality forecast. Broadcast four times a day on euronews’ ten language channels, an animated map of Europe shows Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service (CAMS) air quality data for major European cities, with an index from 1 to 5 (very good to very poor). Watched by more than 10 million viewers since its launch, this exclusive forecast is also available on the euronews.com weather section in 12 languages.

The Head of Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service points out that people are already familiar with weather forecasts, but air quality forecasting is different: “With the weather there is nothing you can do to change it, but you can take action to improve air quality. People can choose to use public transportation and reduce the number of cars on the roads; authorities can enforce actions to abate certain emissions sources on a given day in order to reduce the severity of an episode.”

While air pollution remains a serious problem across Europe, the increasing focus on monitoring and improving the situation is encouraging. The sector is developing fast, and dozens of applications are becoming available that cover specific cities or even the whole of Europe or the entire world. In Belgium, Vito has developed an air quality modelling framework that aids urban planners, while in Lithuania, an innovative forecasting tool is being fine-tuned to detect allergy symptoms. In Germany, Heich Consult is using data from Copernicus to develop an app that informs people about the air quality in cities. The service mixes up-to-date information with historical data, drawing on numerous sources to provide relevant day-to-day information, initially for the people of Brno. This summer in Greece, the DiscovAir programme will provide integrated weather, UV, pollen and air quality information for tourists so that they can better enjoy their stay in the country and organise their activities in the best possible way.

While these developments are encouraging, there is still work to be done. Combining the efforts of local monitoring services with global data and insight from providers like Copernicus is already producing effective solutions. Empowering policy makers and the general public with these tools ensures that we can take effective action to improve air quality in the future.</s>Baku. 7 March. REPORT.AZ/ The Made in Azerbaijan brand was registered as a trademark and is protected in other countries.

Report informs, Chairman of the State Committee for Standardization, Metrology and Patent, Ramiz Hasanov said at the Caspian European Club (CEC) event.

He also said that there are more than 20 international, including European standards, in the national fund of Azerbaijan: “At the same time, there are about 1,000 national standards, 46% of standards fund is adapted to European standards”.
The WWF describes Germany's rivers as being in a state "bordering on critical" after it emerges more than 90% do not meet European Union standards for cleanliness and ecological quality.