Maßnahmen zur Verbesserung des Vollzugs des Umweltrechts ('Environmental Compliance Assurance') haben international und auf Unionsebene erhebliche Bedeutung. So hat die EU Kommission (KOM) 2018 einen Aktionsplan zu Compliance Assurance (APEC) vorgelegt. Auch wenn der Aktionsplan konkrete Maßnahmen nur bis zum Ende der Amtszeit der aktuellen KOM Ende 2019 vorsieht, lassen Umfang und Ansatz des Plans erwarten, dass die Erarbeitung von Umsetzungsmaßnahmen und deren Diskussion über 2019 hinaus stattfinden wird. Für diesen Fall soll das FuE klären, wie die von der KOM geplanten Leitlinien und 'best-practice-Sammlungen' ausgestaltet oder weiterentwickelt werden müssen, damit sie den Vollzug in D wirksam unterstützen. Zu ausgewählten, auf EU-Ebene noch nicht beschlossenen Vorschlägen beantwortet das FuE kurzfristig aufgeworfene Hintergrundfragen. Im APEC-Diskussionsprozess abschließend erarbeitete Maßnahmen bewertet es mit dem Ziel einer optimalen Umsetzung aus rechts- und verwaltungswissenschaftlicher Perspektive. Dabei ist u. a. zu klären, wie sich die freiwillig anzuwendenden Leitlinien, die Empfehlungen und sonstigen Instrumente optimal in die unterschiedlich ausgestalteten Umweltverwaltungssysteme der verfahrensautonomen Bundesländer einfügen lassen, so dass deren Funktionalität nicht beeinträchtigt, sondern verbessert wird. Der Prozess wirft u.a. durch - eine stärkere Verschränkung von ordnungsrechtlicher und anreizorientierter Anwendungsförderung mit der Nutzung von Informationen aus der Zivilgesellschaft,- die (ggf. allgemeine) Zugänglichkeit von ggf. katasterbezogenen weltraumgestützten Aufklärungsdaten und- erweiterte Formen der (grenzüberschreitenden) Zusammenarbeit von Überwachungsbehördenrechtliche Fragen zu Zulässigkeit und Wirkung der Maßnahmen und zum Datenschutz auf. Das Vorhaben baut auf bestehenden Erkenntnissen zu möglichen Verbesserungen im Vollzug des europäischen Umweltrechts (z. B. UBA-Bericht 21/18) auf.
Die Europäische Kommission hat sich zum Ziel gesetzt, die Einhaltung des europäischen Umweltrechts zu verbessern (sog. compliance assurance). Die dazu ergriffenen Maßnahmen können auch Auswirkungen auf das deutsche Umsetzungs- und Vollzugssystem haben. Die Studie trägt dazu bei, die praktischen Effekte dieser Auswirkungen einschließlich etwaiger unnötiger Belastungen von Vollzugsbehörden bzw. anderen Normadressaten und Optimierungsvorschläge zu erkennen.Hierzu waren die Einschätzungen der zuständigen Fachleute in den Vollzugsbehörden unerlässlich. Das Forschungsteam ist daher auf Grundlage einer verwaltungs- und rechtswissenschaftlichen Studie und der Ergebnisse einer Online-Umfrage in einen Dialog mit Vollzugsfachleuten getreten. In der hier publizierten Studie finden Sie die Hintergrundstudie, die Ergebnisse der Online-Umfrage und der Dialoge sowie die aus den Auswertung hergeleiteten Schlussfolgerungen zur Vollzugssituation und Empfehlungen zur Unterstützung des Vollzugs.
Many EU cities are experiencing increasing problems with their water pipeline infrastructure. The cost of replacing these old, worn-out systems, if left to deteriorate beyond repair, is astronomical and clearly beyond the resources of many communities. Replacement, however, is not the only choice as many of these systems can be rehabilitated at 30 to 70 percent of the cost of replacement. Accordingly, resources are now increasingly being allocated to address pipeline rehabilitation management issues. Due to the emphasis on sustainable management, risk-based approaches for the rehabilitation management of the water supply network need to be developed. Rehabilitation decisions should be based, inter alia, on inspection and evaluation of the pipeline conditions. Yet, utilities cannot locate a number of their old pipes and current inspection technologies typically do not provide the needed detailed information on pipeline damage. The objectives of this work are: 1. To develop a novel, high resolution imaging ground penetrating radar for the detection of pipes, leaks and damages and the imaging of the damaged region and evaluate it at a test site. 2. To produce an integrated system that will contain the equipment in 1 and a Decision-Support-System (DSS) for the rehabilitation management of the underground water pipelines that will use input from the inspections to assess, probabilistically, the time-dependent leakage and structural reliability of the pipelines and a risk-based methodology for rehabilitation decisions that considers the overall risk, including financial, social and environmental criteria. 3. To field test the equipment and the DSS. Prime Contractor: Institute of Communication and Computer Systems, Athen, Greece.
Honey is among the oldest food products of mankind and beekeeping is deeply rooted in every European culture. Numerous European and national regulations control honey quality, which reflects both the high nutritional and societal value of the product. Yet in an environment with increasing chemical pollution and the wide use of agrochemicals, honey runs high risks of becoming chemically polluted. In addition a broad spectrum of chemicals is used to treat honeybee diseases, further contaminating honey with sometimes highly toxic compounds. The BEE SHOP is a network of ten leading European honeybee research groups in honey quality, pathology, genetics and behaviour as well as selected beekeeping industries, which all share a common interest in promoting Europe's high honey quality standards. The prime goal is to reduce potential sources of honey contamination due to both foraging contaminated nectar and chemotherapy of honeybee diseases. The BEE SHOP will therefore deal with the development of biological resistance to pests and pathogens to avoid chemotherapy. Various European honeybee races and populations will be screened for their disease resistance potential to the main pressing pathogens. Differences in foraging patterns among European honeybees and their underlying mechanisms will be studied to identify behavioural traits reducing contamination. Differences in disease susceptibility will be genetically analysed by QTL mapping. Major loci in the genome will be identified with the aid of the published honeybee genome. SNPs will be developed to allow for selection of specific target genes in both drones and queens before insemination. This will greatly accelerate the selection progress in honeybee breeding allowing for the swift establishment of resistant but efficient stock. New tools for testing honey quality and authenticity will be developed to allow inspections of honey according to the current EC directives on honey quality and organic beekeeping.
Naturally occurring arsenic (As) in groundwater aquifers is widely recognized as a threat to water resources. An estimated 100 million people worldwide are exposed to hazardous levels of As in their drinking water, predominately in South and Southeast Asia. Biologically-driven reductive dissolution of As-bearing Fe(III)-(hydr)oxides and As(V) are generally accepted to be the dominant mode of As release, resulted from microbial degradation of organic matter (OM) under limited oxygenation within soils/sediments. As the release process is governed by OM and its decomposition mechanisms and rates, it is crucial to understand the nature and reactivity of OM. Within the Mekong Delta of Cambodia, As release to groundwater was recently identified to occur mainly in the shallow clay layers of permanently saturated wetlands. In contrast, lesser amounts of As are released in the surficial clay layers below seasonally saturated wetlands. The two locations therefore provide an ideal opportunity to study the nature of OM and compare its reactivity during decomposition in similar environments under different redox conditions. Accordingly, we seek to determine how different geomorphic features result in different quantities and type of OM, and to link the characteristics of OM to the quantity of As release. During a field trip in July 2010 two 1 m deep soil profiles from two different locations (permanently and seasonally saturated wetlands), were sampled for OM characterization. Visual inspection of the seasonally saturated wetlands profile showed two different OM morphologies with leaf-type OM in the upper and amorphous OM in the lower part of the profile, while no leaf-type OM was found in the permanently saturated wetlands. ATR-FTIR spectroscopy revealed significant differences between the two materials, especially in the areas of C=O vibrations of carboxylates and of CH and NH (amide II) bending motions. Two high-resolution sediment sequences up to 6 m depth in both seasonally and permanently saturated wetlands are presently being examined by ATR-FTIR spectroscopy. Further, synchrotron-based FTIR spectra of transition zones and of the organic matter-mineral assemblages are being investigated. The specific chemical states are then be related to reactivity through incubation studies. Collectively, the results of this study will provide valuable insights into the role and heterogeneity of OM driving As liberation.