Bathing Water Directive: possible extension of scope
In the latest workshop on the Impact Assessment it appears that the European Commission is in favour of extending the scope of the Directive to recreational water and to increase the frequency of sampling. This will be discussed at the next expert group meeting on 16 June.
The BWD requires Member States to monitor and assess the bathing water for at least two parameters of (faecal) bacteria. In addition, they must inform the public about bathing water quality and beach management.
Water and agriculture
SAIO Regulation: Member States block future-proof rules in Trilogue
Trilogue negotiations for the Statistics on Agricultural Input and Output (SAIO) Regulation remain difficult. As the latest ‘Four-column-document’ (a working document that is used as a basis for discussion during informal trialogues between the Council, European Commission and European Parliament) shows, Member States may accept annual data collections for pesticide use, but only from 2028 and only at NUTS2 level. This means that public authorities and drinking water suppliers will not be able to use this data for drinking water supply risk management.
EurEau signed a letter supported by 76 organisations calling on the negotiators to support an ambitious regulation.
The SAIO aims to modernise EU agricultural statistics undertaken by the European Commission (Eurostat) in close cooperation with Member States.
Sustainable food systems: Commission launches public consultation
As announced in its Farm-to-fork Strategy, the Commission has initiated work on a proposal for a legislative framework for sustainable food systems. It will be adopted by the Commission by the end of 2023. The Public Consultation will run until 21 July 2022.
This law will cover the full value chain from farming to consumption, including the pollution of soil and water and the unsustainable use of water resources.
Water and the environment
EQSD: legislative proposal on the List of Pollutants due Q3
On the EQSD/Groundwater Directive List of Pollutants, the legislative proposal is expected in September 2022.
The EQSD sets out environmental quality standards (EQSs) concerning the presence in surface water of certain substances or groups of substances identified as priority pollutants because of the significant risk they pose to or via the aquatic environment.
Microplastics: EurEau contribution
We submitted our contribution to the public consultation. This public consultation aims to support the European Commission’s initiative on microplastic pollution – legislative measures to reduce impacts on the environment. This initiative focuses on microplastics that are unintentionally released into the environment.
IED: rapporteurs appointed
The European Commission published the draft revised Industrial Emissions Directive in April.
In the parliament, Radan Kanev (EPP) has been appointed rapporteur in the ENVI (lead) committee and Benoit Lutgen (EPP) will be the shadow rapporteur for the AGRI opinion.
REACH: topics of the targeted revision
The ongoing preparation of the targeted revision of Europe’s chemicals Regulation - REACH - will determine the way chemicals are regulated for years to come.
We continue to follow topics under REACH that are undergoing consultations. We support the extension of the generic approach to risk management (GRA, which is based on hazard properties and generic exposure) to other hazard classes and we are advocating the inclusion of very mobile and persistent hazardous classes (PMT and vPvM) into this.
The REACH Regulation aims to improve the protection of human health and the environment from the risks that can be posed by chemicals.
Energy files: Parliament committee publishes amendments on ETS
In the European Parliament, the ENVI committee voted on the compromise amendments on the ETS. The amendments propose the inclusion of municipal waste incineration by 1 January 2026, depending on an impact assessment. The ETS includes municipal waste incineration installations. We are working with MEPS to ensure that whenever sewage sludge is managed together with municipal waste, the sludge will not be covered by the ETS. The file will be voted on in Plenary between 6-9 June.
The EU ETS is a cornerstone of the EU's policy to combat climate change and its key tool for reducing greenhouse gas emissions cost-effectively.
REPowerEU: Commission presents plan
The European Commission presented the REPowerEU Plan (18 May), its response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. It aims to end the EU's dependence on Russian fossil fuel, and tackle the climate crisis.
This initiative comes on top of the Fit for 55 Package and intends to speed up the objectives and targets in it. REPowerEU re-allocates €3billion to energy savings, to diversifying energy supplies and to accelerating the rollout of renewable energy generation, including the EU Solar Strategy, heat pump systems, hydrogen and the Biomethane Action Plan by 2030. Most of this is diverted from the Recovery and Resilience Funds. Some money will be given to hydrogen research projects.
Taxonomy: reports and actions
The Taxonomy report on the ‘Enabling activities’ and relative TSCs (like desalination) by the Sustainable Finance Platform that was due to be published in May is now expected in June.
Zero Pollution: stakeholder meeting
Following the 25 April meeting, we sent comments on the work programme of the platform in early May.
The European Commission held a workshop of its Zero Pollution Stakeholder Platform on 24 May, themed on Zero Pollution Monitoring and Outlook. We support control at source measures and the necessity to address pollutants in water as a whole. EurEau President, Dr Claudia Castell-Exner and JWG WFD Chairperson, Anders Finnson, represent EurEau in this platform.
Restriction on Hazardous Substances: water sector needs clarity
The revision of the Restriction of Hazardous Substances (RoHS) Directive in electric and electronic equipment is ongoing. The public consultation will close today (2 June).
We will ask that mercury-containing UV lamps used in the disinfection and treatment of drinking water and waste water be excluded from the scope of the Directive.
The RoHS Directive aims to prevent the risks posed to human health and the environment related to the management of electronic and electrical waste. It does this by restricting the use of certain hazardous substances in EEE that can be substituted by safer alternatives. We support the Directive as it provides protection for water resources.
Detergent Regulation
The Detergents Regulation lays down specific rules for placing detergents on the EU market.
We submitted our answer to the public consultation. As water service providers, operators have to deal with the remnants of detergents in waste water before they re-enter the environment. The revision of this regulation provides an opportunity to restrict the use of phosphorous in industrial detergents and therefore its treatment at the WWTP. However, the environmental impact of any proposed replacement chemical should be assessed to ensure it is not hazardous or a PMT/vPvMT substance.
Environmental Liability: Commission revised legal framework
The Commission is revising the Environmental Liability Directive (ELD) with the goal to strengthen its application. Following the call for evidence, a public consultation has been opened (deadline: 4 August 2022).
The directive implements the Polluter Pays Principle for environmental damage or imminent threat (including to water) caused by a number of industrial activities. Other activities are covered whenever the operator has been at fault or negligent.
Water as an essential service
NIS2 Directive: Parliament and Member States agree on cyber-security rules
The EU co-legislators have provisionally agreed the final text of the Directive for a high common level of cybersecurity across the Union (the so-called NIS2 Directive). It will set far-reaching requirements for governments and critical entities. Over the coming weeks, the compromise will be formally approved by the EU Parliament and the Council.
The European Parliament Rapporteur Bart Groothuis participated in a podcast about the directive (here). You can also read the press releases from the Parliament and the Council.
The NIS2 Directive aims to achieve a high level of security of network and information systems across the EU.