Integrated water management – revised lists of surface and groundwater pollutants

NAT/878 - Integrated water management – revised lists of surface and groundwater pollutants

Section: Agriculture, Rural Development and the Environment (NAT)

Rapporteur: Arnaud Schwartz (Civil society organisations - Group III / France)

Opinion type: mandatory

Reference: COM(2022) 540 final 2022/0344 COD COM(2022) 540 final 2022/0344 COD

Context: 

Water can become unsafe and unfit for human use or irrigation when certain pollutants (also called 'substances of concern'), such as pesticides, fertilisers, chemicals and salts enter the groundwater, as well as surface water bodies at levels above certain thresholds. The current legislation lists several polluting substances and groups of substances, as well as quality standards, or threshold values for each, that EU countries need to respect. However, this list of pollutants is incomplete as it omits some emerging substances with significant negative effects on the environment and human health. At the same time, some of the still listed substances are no longer present in significant quantities in the environment, and for others, the standards do not correspond to the latest evidence. Therefore, the current legislation needs to be improved on aspects such as such as implementing rules, integrating water objectives into other policies, chemical pollution, administrative simplification and digitalisation.

Key points:

In the opinion on the proposal for a Directive amending the Water Framework Directive, the Groundwater Directive and the Environmental Quality Standards Directive, the EESC:

• points out that a strong framework is needed to protect water at source. Reducing pollution at source will bring benefits for ecosystems, industry, and common water users, and will ensure clean and affordable drinking water;
• stresses that the benefits associated with unpolluted water outweigh the costs associated with this initiative;
• recommends that Member States intensify their efforts to collect, organise and interpret water data. In particular, more should be done to evaluate and monitor the impact of the combined substances on the environment and human health;

At interinstitutional level, the proposal is currently being negotiated between the Council of Ministers and the European Parliament. The two institutions are expected to reach an agreement by (tbc).

Date of the section meeting: 3 February 2023

Results of the section meeting vote: 51 in favour, 0 against, 0 abstentions

Date of adoption at the EESC plenary session: 22-23 February 2023

Results of the plenary session vote: 156 in favour, 1 against, 6 abstentions

Contacts: