Cooperative research on water quality and health parameters in the European Community

Research programmes planned and sponsored by the Commission of the European Communities (CEC) are executed by the Joint Research Centre which belongs to the Community (direct action) and through the collaboration of research institutions of the member countries (indirect action). In the latter case national laboratories carry out investigations under contract with the CEC thus providing scientific and technological data needed in the implementation of Community policies in various fields such as Agriculture, Industrial Affairs, Energy, Environment. To sustain the Community policy on the environment, adopted in 1973, the CEC proposed and the Council of the EC approved, in parallel with direct action programmes, the first Environmental Research Programme of indirect action for the period 1973-1975 and the second Environmental Research Programme of indirect action for the period 1976-1980. Both programmes have contributed to improve the understanding of problems concerning the presence of pollutants in the environment and their ecological and health effects.