NITROGEN POLLUTION IN THE EUROPEAN-UNION - ORIGINS AND PROPOSED SOLUTIONS

The European Union is faced with major environmental problems related to nitrogen (N) compounds. The origins of three such problems, the atm ospheric deposition of N compounds, the leaching of nitrates to ground -water and the anthropogenic N-input to the North Sea, are investigate d by means of a Substance Flow Analysis (SFA); the reference year is 1 988. Although the problems occur at various scales and have varying di rect causes, food production and consumption together are the main res ponsible sectors, and the production and import of fertilizer appear t o be the major ultimate sources in all three cases. Measures to combat these problems have been agreed to in various international framework s: the European Community, the International North Sea Conference and the Rhine States Conference. These measures include technical emission reduction for acidifying compounds resulting in a 30% emission reduct ion; extension of the sewage treatment network and application of deni trification with 50% effectiveness; and introduction of measures direc ted at efficiency increase and emission reduction in agricultural prac tice in 10% of the agricultural area. The recent changes in the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) are not expected to lead to significant cha nges in N flows. Assuming full implementation, an almost sufficient 45 % reduction is expected for the anthropogenic nitrogen input into the North Sea. The atmospheric deposition of nitrogen compounds will be re duced by approximately 20%. The leaching of nitrates to the ground-wat er is expected to remain at the current level or even to increase a li ttle. In all, these measures are conducive to solving, but do not sati sfactorily solve, the three problems, mainly because the ultimate orig ins of the problems are not sufficiently influenced and measures there fore inevitably result in a shifting of problems.