Steps in the Derivation of Quality Standards

Technical Guidance Document of the EU for Deriving Environmental Quality Standards

For more information on the prioritisation of individual chemicals, please refer to the following Evaluation Concept for Trace Compounds from Communal Wastewater. For more information on the used methods, see report Aquatic Risks of Plant Protection Products: A Comparison of Different Hazard Assessment Strategies for Surface Waters in Switzerland.

The Ecotox Centre exchanges data and experience on quality standards with several EU member states. The exchange of information is intended to harmonise the quality standards and prevent redundant work. There are two important international bodies in this field:
1) In the EU “Working Group E (WG E) on Chemicals” of the EU Water Framework Directive, the member states develop quality standards for priority substances (chemicals whose assessment is considered to be urgent) and also include non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and other stakeholder organisations. 
2) In informal multilateral meetings, EU member states exchange their experience and develop joint approaches in order to define quality standards for specific environmental contaminations. Thus, national interests can be taken into account more strongly regarding substances that were not prioritised at EU level.