Monitoring

Monitoring is crucial in order to determine whether environmental quality standards are being complied with, whether additional measures or adaptations of action programmes are necessary, and to assess which measures are effective.

Monitoring is not an objective in itself, but is a means to help reach an objective. Monitoring requirements may serve different objectives. Not every objective is equally important in a monitoring system; this may vary between directives and between various monitoring obligations. However, it is important to know why monitoring is prescribed in a directive. And it is particularly relevant to determine the most appropriate design of the monitoring requirements.

Sources:

Barbara A. Beijen, Helena F.M.W. van Rijswick, Helle Tegner Anker «The Importance of Monitoring for the Effectiveness of Environmental Directives » //The Utrecht Law Review, 2014 - 126p. – 135