Directive 2013/39/EU amending the Environmental Quality Standards Directive 2008/105/EC under the European Water Framework Directive (WFD) has introduced the new “Watch List” monitoring mechanism in order to collect high-quality Union-wide monitoring data for the purpose of supporting future prioritisation exercises. Diclofenac, 17-beta-estradiol, and 17-alpha-ethinylestradiol were identified in Directive 2013/39/EU for inclusion in the 1st Watch List. The Joint Research Centre (JRC) has been tasked with proposing seven substances as candidates for the completion of the 1st Watch List and identifying analytical methods for their monitoring. The procedure and criteria used to identify a short-list of substances for possible inclusion in the Watch List is described in the JRC Science and Policy Report “Development of the 1st Watch List under the Environmental Quality Standards Directive" (Carvalho et al., 2015). EU Member States and stakeholder groups had the opportunity to comment on the proposed substances and on the analytical methods, whose availability was a criterion for the selection of the compounds. The finally proposed 10 (groups of) substances for inclusion in the 1st Watch List are diclofenac, 17-beta-estradiol (E2) and estrone (E1), 17-alpha-ethinylestradiol (EE2), oxadiazon, methiocarb, 2,6-ditert-butyl-4-methylphenol, tri-allate, neonicotinoid insecticides as a group (imidacloprid, thiacloprid, thiamethoxam, clothianidin, acetamiprid), macrolide antibiotics (erythromycin, clarithromycin, azithromycin), and 2-ethylhexyl-4-methoxycinnamate. Analytical methods for additional substances were searched and investigated because they were among those considered for inclusion in the list, but either did not fulfil all selection criteria, in some cases because enough monitoring data were found to exist already, or were not ranked highly enough. These substances were trichlorfon, cyclododecane, aminotriazole (amitrole), dimethenamid-P, diflufenican, dichlofluanid, formaldehyde, triphenyl phosphate, tolylfluanid, ciprofloxacin, and free cyanide. Little or no information on analytical methods was found for trichlorfon, aminotriazole, cyclododecane, and tolylfluanid. For the other compounds analytical methods are available and published. Some of them have already been analysed in the aquatic environment. The analysis of free cyanide in water is difficult. The available analytical methods do not reach the proposed PNEC value of 0.26 µg/l.JRC.H.1-Water Resource
