27.12.2006 Official Journal of the European Union L 372/19 DIRECTIVE 2006/118/EC OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL of 12 December 2006 on the protection of groundwater against pollution and deterioration THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION, Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Commu- nity, and in particular Article 175(1) thereof, Having regard to the proposal from the Commission, Having regard to the Opinion of the European Economic and Social Committee (%), Having regard to the Opinion of the Committee of the Regions (%), Acting in accordance with the procedure laid down in Article 251 of the Treaty (%), in the light of the joint text approved by the Conciliation Committee on 28 November 2006, Whereas: 1 Groundwater is a valuable natural resource and as such should be protected from deterioration and chemical pollution. This is particularly important for groundwater- dependent ecosystems and for the use of groundwater in water supply for human consumption. Groundwater is the most sensitive and the largest body of freshwater in the European Union and, in particular, also a main source of public drinking water supplies in many regions. Groundwater in bodies of water used for the abstraction of drinking water or intended for such future use must be protected in such a way that deterioration in the quality of such bodies of water is avoided in order to reduce the level of purification treatment required in the production of drinking water, in accordance with Article 7(2) and (3) of Directive 2000/60/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 23 October 2000 establishing a framework for Community action in the field of water policy (*. Decision No 1600/2002/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 22 July 2002 laying down the Sixth Community Environment Action Programme (°) includes the objective to achieve water quality levels that do not give rise to significant impacts on, and risks to, human health and the environment. OJ C 112, 30.4.2004, p. 40. 0OJ C 109, 30.4.2004, p. 29. Opinion of the European Parliament of 28 April 2005 (O] C 45 E, 23.2.2006, p. 15), Council Common Position of 23 January 2006 (O] C 126 E, 30.5.2006, p. 1) and Position of the European Parliament of 13 June 2006 (not yet published in the Official Journal). European Parliament Legislative Resolution of 12 December 2006 (not yet published in the Official Journal) and Council Decision of 11 December 2006. OJ L 327, 22.12.2000, p. 1. Directive as amended by Decision No 2455/2001/EC (O] L 331, 15.12.2001, p. 1). OJ L 242, 10.9.2002, p. 1. () ®) In order to protect the environment as a whole, and human health in particular, detrimental concentrations of harmful pollutants in groundwater must be avoided, prevented or reduced Directive 2000/60/EC sets out general provisions for the protection and conservation of groundwater. As provided for in Article 17 of that Directive, measures to prevent and control groundwater pollution should be adopted, includ- ing criteria for assessing good groundwater chemical status and criteria for the identification of significant and sustained upward trends and for the definition of starting points for trend reversals. Having regard to the need to achieve consistent levels of protection for groundwater, quality standards and threshold values should be established, and methodologies based on a common approach developed, in order to provide criteria for the assessment of the chemical status of bodies of groundwater. Quality standards for nitrates, plant protection products and biocides should be set as Community criteria for the assessment of the chemical status of bodies of groundwater, and consistency should be ensured with Council Directive 91/676/EEC of 12 December 1991 concerning the protec- tion of waters against pollution caused by nitrates from agricultural sources (%), Council Directive 91/414/EEC of 15 July 1991 concerning the placing of plant protection products on the market (7), and Directive 98/8/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 16 February 1998 concerning the placing of biocidal products on the market (%), respectively. The protection of groundwater may in some areas require a change in farming or forestry practices, which could entail a loss of income. The Common Agricultural Policy provides for funding mechanisms to implement measures to comply with Community standards, namely through Council Regulation (EC) No 1698/2005 of 20 September 2005 on support for rural development by the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD) (°). OJ L 375, 31.12.1991, p. 1. Directive as amended by Regulation (EC) No 18822003 of the European Parliament and of the Council (O] L 284, 31.10.2003, p. 1). OJ L 230, 19.8.1991, p. 1. Directive as last amended by Commission Directive 2006/85/EC (O] L 293, 24.10.2006, p. 3). OJ L 123, 24.4.1998, p. 1. Directive as last amended by Commission Directive 2006/50/EC (O] L 142, 30.5.2006, p. 6). OJ L 277, 21.10.2005, p. 1. Regulation as amended by Regulation (EC) No 1463/2006 (O] L 277, 9.10.2006, p. 1).