What changed

DRAFT EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT LEGISLATIVE RESOLUTION

on the Council position at first reading with a view to the adoption of a directive of the European Parliament and of the Council amending Directive 2000/60/EC establishing a framework for Community action in the field of water policy, Directive 2006/118/EC on the protection of groundwater against pollution and deterioration and Directive 2008/105/EC on environmental quality standards in the field of water policy

(14144/1/2025 – C10-0065/2026 – 2022/0344(COD))

(Ordinary legislative procedure: second reading)

The European Parliament,

– having regard to the Council position at first reading (14144/1/2025 – C10-0065/2026),

– having regard to the opinion of the European Economic and Social Committee of 22 February 2023,

– having regard to its position at first reading on the Commission proposal to Parliament and the Council (COM(2022)0540),

– having regard to Article 294(7) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union,

– having regard to the provisional agreement approved by the committee responsible under Rule 75(4) of its Rules of Procedure,

– having regard to Rule 68 of its Rules of Procedure,

– having regard to the recommendation for second reading of the Committee on the Environment, Climate and Food Safety (A10-0063/2026),

1. Approves the Council position at first reading;

2. Notes that the act is adopted in accordance with the Council position;

3. Instructs its President to sign the act with the President of the Council, in accordance with Article 297(1) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union;

4. Instructs its Secretary-General to sign the act, once it has been verified that all the procedures have been duly completed, and, in agreement with the Secretary-General of the Council, to arrange for its publication in the Official Journal of the European Union;

5. Instructs its President to forward its position to the Council, the Commission and the national parliaments.

SHORT JUSTIFICATION

The Council position at first reading reflects the agreement reached between Parliament and the Council in interinstitutional negotiations at early second-reading stage.

The rapporteur welcomes the proposed revision of the three water related pieces of legislation and suggests some targeted and limited improvements.

ANNEX: DECLARATION OF INPUT

The overall slow progress in achieving the objectives of the Water Framework Directive can be attributed to a lack of implementation, an insuffient scope, and insuffiscient or inadequate restoration measures ensuring hydrological and ecological connectivity.

The rapporteur declares under his exclusive responsibility that he did not include in his report input from interest representatives falling within the scope of the Interinstitutional Agreement on a mandatory transparency register, or from representatives of public authorities of third countries, including their diplomatic missions and embassies, to be listed in this Annex pursuant to Article 8 of Annex I to the Rules of Procedure.

Member States and the Commission should see to it that the lack of implementation is overcome.

PROCEDURE – COMMITTEE RESPONSIBLE

In line with the 2019 fitness check, lists of pollutants affecting surface and groundwater have to be updated, and the way of tackling them harmonised. Obligations for Member States should be swiftly aligned with latest science concerning contaminants of emerging concern. The monitoring of chemical mixtures should be improved. More generally, access to and transparency of data need to be ensured.

FINAL VOTE BY ROLL CALL BY THE COMMITTEE RESPONSIBLE

In the summer of 2022, the extreme impact of climate change on the availability of water became very apparent, and the scientific consensus tells us that this is just the beginning. Farmers and food production are amongst the first victims of climate change.

The environmental disaster unfolding, also in summer 2022, in the Oder river basin has shown the need to strengthen international cooperation and ensure the full and speedy cooperation of all Member States concerned.

Antimicrobial resistance has become a major threat to public health, and the rapporteur therefore very much agrees with the proposal to include antimicrobial resistance genes in the surface and groundwater watch lists, and draws the attention to water discharged by slaughter houses, which has shown to contain antimicrobial resistance genes.

Certain agricultural practices have been identified as an obstacle to achieving good status in EU water bodies, leading to nitrate and pesticide pollution in groundwater. Member States should therefore ensure that the relevant Ground Water Quality Standards are fully respected.

Dealing with drought and therefore ensuring good quantitative groundwater status is ever more important. Heightened attention to abstraction practices is warranted. as water abstraction for agriculture has become a major pressure causing failure of good quantitative status of groundwater bodies. Member States have to ensure an efficient and sustainable water use, including in agriculture, and controls over the abstraction of fresh surface water and groundwater may not exclude agricultural use.

Agriculture is both contributing to and victim of degrading qualitative and quantitative status of surface and groundwater. It is high time to reverse the trend.

AMENDMENTS

The Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development calls on the Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety, as the committee responsible, to take into account the following amendments:

Amendment 1

Proposal for a directive

Recital 1 a (new)

Or. en

Amendment 2

Proposal for a directive

Recital 1 b (new)

Or. en

Amendment 3

Proposal for a directive

Recital 1 c (new)

Or. en

Amendment 4

Proposal for a directive

Recital 1 d (new)

Or. en

Amendment 5

Proposal for a directive

Recital 1 e (new)

Or. en

Amendment 6

Proposal for a directive

Recital 1 f (new)

Or. en

Amendment 7

Proposal for a directive

Recital 10

Or. en

Amendment 8

Proposal for a directive

Recital 10 a (new)

Or. en

Amendment 9

Proposal for a directive

Recital 13 a (new)

Or. en

Amendment 10

Proposal for a directive

Article 1 – paragraph 1 – point 3

Directive 2000/60/EC

Article 3 – paragraph 4a

Or. en

Amendment 11

Proposal for a directive

Article 1 – paragraph 1 – point 6 – point -a (new)

Directive 2000/60/EC

Article 8 – paragraph 1 – point ii

Or. en

(https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX%3A02000L0060-20141120)

Amendment 12

Proposal for a directive

Article 1 – paragraph 1 – point 7 a (new)

Directive 2000/60/EC

Article 11 – paragraph 3 – point c

Or. en

(https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/dir/2000/60/2014-11-20)

Amendment 13

Proposal for a directive

Article 1 – paragraph 1 – point 7 b (new)

Directive 2000/60/EC

Article 11 – paragraph 3 – point e

Or. en

(https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/dir/2000/60/2014-11-20)

Amendment 14

Proposal for a directive

Article 1 – paragraph 1 – point 9

Directive 2000/60/EC

Article 12 – paragraph 1

Or. en

Amendment 15

Proposal for a directive

Article 1 – paragraph 1 – point 9

Directive 2000/60/EC

Article 12 – paragraph 2 – subparagraph 1

Or. en

Amendment 16

Proposal for a directive

Article 1 – paragraph 1 – point 9

Directive 2000/60/EC

Article 12 – paragraph 2 – subparagraph 2

Or. en

Amendment 17

Proposal for a directive

Article 1 – paragraph 1 – point 9

Directive 2000/60/EC

Article 12 – paragraph 3

Or. en

Amendment 18

Proposal for a directive

Article 2 – paragraph 1 – point 4 – point c

Directive 2006/118/EC

Article 3 – paragraph 5 – subparagraph 2 a (new)

Or. en

Amendment 19

Proposal for a directive

Article 2 – paragraph 1 – point 6

Directive 2006/118/EC

Article 6a – paragraph 3 – subparagraph 3

Or. en