On July 1, the European Court of Justice ruled in favour of rivers in a landmark decision. The verdict strengthens the protection of rivers. It is specifically about the interpretation of the “no deterioration" provision of the Water Framework Directive. According to the ruling, projects mustn’t deteriorate a river in a single water quality element, even if the overall ecological condition is not considerably altered. The ruling is based on a complaint filed by The Federation for the Environment and the Conservation of Nature, Germany in regards to the incision of the river Weser.

Here the press release of the European Court of Justice

and the verdict in English