Skip to content
MOTION FOR A RESOLUTION (2026/2652(RSP))

On the implementation of the Urban Wastewater Treatment Directive (UWWTD) and risks to the security of supply of medicines

B-10-2026-0238

on behalf of the Renew Group · Rapporteur: Vlad VasileVoiculescu

Official HTML ↗ PDF DOCX
✦ In shortFull text
✦ In short · AI summary of this text, generated 4 Sept 2026

Written by a language model from the full text only; every figure comes from the text. The paragraph links open the paragraph a statement rests on — check the text itself before relying on it.

This resolution addresses the implementation of the Urban Wastewater Treatment Directive (UWWTD) and its impact on medicine supply. It stresses protecting public health and the environment while avoiding unintended consequences for medicine accessibility, availability, and affordability. It calls for full application of the polluter pays principle, with pharmaceutical and cosmetic producers covering at least 80% of micropollutant removal costs, and for mitigating measures to ensure medicine supply. It also urges EU support for modernizing wastewater treatment plants, integrating circular economy principles, and harmonizing standards for removing pharmaceutical and cosmetic residues.

Key points

  1. Underlines the importance of the UWWTD in protecting public health and the environment, while stressing the need to avoid unintended consequences for medicine accessibility, availability, and affordability.
  2. Emphasizes addressing pollution at the source, monitoring harmful substances, and informing consumers about waste prevention and disposal.
  3. Calls on the Commission to ensure the polluter pays principle is fully applied, including through extended producer responsibility schemes.
  4. Recalls that pharmaceutical and cosmetic producers must cover at least 80% of micropollutant removal costs, with the remaining 20% for member states.
  5. Notes that the extended producer responsibility system aims to finance micropollutant removal and incentivize less toxic, more biodegradable products.
  6. Notes that pharmaceuticals and cosmetics are main micropollutant sources; Commission should evaluate including other sectors in extended producer responsibility.
  7. Urges member states to adopt mitigating measures to guarantee medicine accessibility, availability, and affordability across the EU.
  8. Stresses that financial responsibility for quaternary treatment should not fall on municipalities or water users, but be shared equitably among main polluters.
  9. Calls for EU support to local authorities for modernizing wastewater treatment plants and promoting water reuse.
  10. Insists on integrating circular economy principles and providing additional funding for industries to transition to clean technologies.
  11. Highlights the need for coordinated EU action to harmonize standards for removing pharmaceutical and cosmetic residues, avoiding internal market distortions.

Who is affected

  • Pharmaceutical and cosmetic producers: must cover at least 80% of micropollutant removal costs.
  • Member states: responsible for remaining 20% of costs and must adopt mitigating measures for medicine supply.
  • Municipalities and water users: should not bear financial responsibility for quaternary treatment.
  • Local authorities: may receive EU support for modernizing wastewater treatment plants and promoting water reuse.
  • Industries: may receive additional funding to transition to clean technologies that minimize water pollution.

Figures and deadlines

  • at least 80 % of the costs of removing micropollutants from wastewater
  • remaining 20 % of the costs for removing micropollutants

Legal basis: Article 191 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union