The objective of the Act to Amend the Water Act and Other Related Acts is to transpose two European Union directives: the Marine Strategy Directive and the Ship Source Pollution Directive. The EU Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSRD) establishes that Member States should take measures to preserve or achieve the good environmental condition of their marine area by 2020 at the latest. According to the directive, the environmental condition of a marine area is good when it enables to use the sea sustainably and with minimum damage. The current condition of Estonia’s marine area and the terms and conditions for preservation or achievement of a good condition will be determined by additional research. The measures necessary for achieving or preserving a good environmental condition will be determined in the strategy compiled for Estonian marine area. Transposing of the ship-source pollution directive ensures that punishments for misdemeanours are sufficient enough, proportional and dissuasive. According to the amendment to the Water Act, only proceedings related to applications for permission for special use of water for construction of structures not directly attached to the shore and submerged cable lines to the sea and transboundary water bodies of lakes Peipus and Pskov will remain under the competence of the Ministry of the Environment. Structures not directly attached to the shore are wind farms and artificial islands built on the sea, also including extraction of sand from sea deposits. Processing of applications and issuing of the permissions for construction of structures directly attached to the shore (e.g. harbours) will be the task of the Environmental Board. Applications submitted to the Ministry of the Environment and accepted prior to the amendment to the Act will be processed by the Ministry of the Environment. The amendments enter into force on the 10th day after publication in the State Gazette. |
