The Council held an open debate on water policy in general, and the proposal for a directive on the ecological quality of water in particular. At the end of the debate the Council adopted the following conclusions: ‘The Council notes that it became apparent during discussions on the ecological quality of water that the principles of Community water policy needed to be defined more clearly and developed. It notes with interest the initiative in the same area taken by the European Parliament in organising a European Union public hearing on water protection. It takes note of the Commission’s intention of submitting a communication on a strategy for Community water policy. The Council asks the Commission to continue the discussions begun in the meeting of Heads of Water Management Authorities on the basis of the Council’s policy debates held in March and June 1995. On the basis of, inter alia , contributions from various Member States, and by the next informal meeting of the Ministers for the Environment, convened on the initiative of the incoming Spanish Presidency on the theme of water, it would like the Commission to draft guidelines for a precise definition of principles to guide the European Union’s water policy, with a view to introducing consistency into existing and future legislative tools, responding to a high level of aspiration, complying with the principle of subsidiarity and incorporating aspects of hydrobiological quality and balance as well as aspects of quantity and use of water, with the aim of ensuring sustainable development, in tandem with examination of the Directive on the ecological quality of water’.

The proposal for a directive on the ecological quality of water was the subject of a policy debate by the Council, pending receipt of the opinion of the European Parliament. The debate enabled guidelines to be agreed on the following aspects: - inclusion in the concept of ecological quality of qualitative criteria for the assessment of water quality; - elaboration by the Member States of overall water management and water ­protection programmes enabling the Directive to be implemented; - information of the public and closer involvement of interested groups in the preparation of the integrated programmes. The Permanent Representatives Committee will continue the proceedings in the light of the opinion awaited from the European Parliament and of the debate, with a view to the Council’s meeting in June 1995.