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MOTION FOR A RESOLUTION (2020/2613(RSP))

On the implementation of the EU water legislation

B-9-2020-0401

on behalf of the Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety · Rapporteur: Christophe Hansen, Sara Cerdas, Nicolae Ştefănuță, Marco Dreosto, Martin Häusling, Joanna Kopcińska, Malin Björk, Eleonora Evi

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Parliament's resolution on the implementation of EU water legislation reviews how the Water Framework Directive and related water laws are applied and calls for faster, better enforcement. It says the Water Framework Directive should not be revised, and asks the Commission to state this and to keep updating its annexes. It calls on member states to reach full compliance by 2027, to adopt river basin management plans on time, to fund the water sector and to apply cost recovery and polluter-pays principles. It asks for action on chemical pollution, microplastics, PFAS and other emerging pollutants, on eutrophication and nitrates, and for better monitoring and data. It addresses climate change, droughts, floods, water reuse, energy use in the water sector and hydropower, and calls for nature-based solutions and river restoration. It calls for alignment of the common agricultural policy and other policies with the Water Framework Directive, and for cross-border cooperation and public information.

Key points

  1. Welcomes the Water Framework Directive's governance framework and its role in improving or slowing the deterioration of water quality.
  2. Notes the Commission's assessment that the directive is fit for purpose but says implementation must improve and speed up, with objectives integrated into agriculture, transport and energy policies.
  3. Stresses that no revision of the Water Framework Directive is necessary and calls on the Commission to declare it will not be revised and to update its annexes as needed.
  4. Regrets that half of EU bodies of water have not reached good status, citing inadequate funding, slow implementation, weak enforcement, use of exemptions and insufficient integration into sectoral policies.
  5. Calls on member states to ensure implementation, enforcement and compliance through the third river basin management plans to be adopted in 2021, and on the Commission to increase funding and support.
  6. Draws attention to an OECD estimate that an additional EUR 253 billion is needed in the EU water sector before 2030, and calls for funds for nature-based solutions and for tackling contaminants of emerging concern.
  7. Calls on member states to achieve full compliance with the Water Framework Directive no later than 2027, and on the Commission to issue recommendations, provide technical assistance and guidance on exemptions.
  8. Calls on member states to design programmes of measures on the best available evidence and to make them and their evaluations publicly available.
  9. Considers the 'one-out, all-out' principle should remain intact and calls for complementary reporting methodologies and public information on water quality and quantity.
  10. Deplores the use of exemptions for over half of EU bodies of water with limited justification, and calls for updated guidance and infringement proceedings when exemptions are not justified.
  11. Regrets low application of the cost recovery principle in several member states and calls for adequate water pricing, application of the polluter-pays principle and ensured access to affordable water services.
  12. Calls on the Commission to take strict and swift action against infringements by member states and to strengthen its resources for infringement procedures, especially on environmental legislation.

Who is affected

  • Member states and their regional authorities, which must implement, enforce and fund the water directives and adopt river basin management plans.
  • The Commission, which is asked to issue guidance, pursue infringements, propose updates and support member states.
  • Farmers and the agricultural sector, which are urged to reduce fertiliser and pesticide use and nutrient leakage.
  • Water providers and water-dependent sectors, which face calls for transparency, digitalisation and efficient use.
  • The hydropower sector, which faces calls for strict impact assessments and restrictions on new plants in protected areas.

Figures and deadlines

  • EUR 253 billion: additional spending estimated by the OECD as needed in the EU water sector before 2030.
  • 2027: deadline by which member states should achieve full compliance with the Water Framework Directive.
  • 2021: year in which member states are to adopt the third river basin management plans.
  • 50 % by 2030: targets for reducing the use and risks of pesticides, as established in the Farm to Fork and Biodiversity Strategies.
  • 25 000 km: length of free-flowing rivers the Commission committed to restore under the Biodiversity Strategy for 2030.
  • 21 000: number of hydropower plants currently in the EU.
  • 5 500 GWh to 13 000 GWh annually: potential energy savings in waste water treatment plants according to the Commission's evaluation.
  • 26 %: share of the EU's annual gross added value generated by water-dependent sectors.

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