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Adopted text

Implementation of the EU water legislation

TA-9-2020-0377 · P9_TA(2020)0377 · PE661.531

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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.

Parliament's resolution on the implementation of EU water legislation reviews how the Water Framework Directive and related laws work in practice. It says the Water Framework Directive is fit for purpose and should not be revised, but that implementation must speed up so all waters reach good status by 2027. It calls on member states to adopt river basin management plans on time, apply the polluter-pays and cost-recovery principles, cut pollution at source and use exemptions only when fully justified. It asks the Commission to fund water infrastructure, tackle pollutants of emerging concern such as PFAS and microplastics, revise the Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive and improve monitoring and public information. It also addresses climate change, water scarcity, hydropower, agriculture, biodiversity and the human right to water.

Key points

  1. Welcomes the Water Framework Directive's governance framework and rejects treating water as a commodity or opening essential public goods to speculation.
  2. States that no revision of the Water Framework Directive is needed and calls on the Commission to declare it will not be revised, while updating annexes as necessary.
  3. Regrets that half of EU bodies of water have not reached good status, citing inadequate funding, slow implementation, weak enforcement and broad use of exemptions.
  4. Calls on member states to ensure implementation and enforcement through the third river basin management plans, adopted in 2021 with public consultation, and on the Commission to increase funding and support.
  5. 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 better-performing infrastructure.
  6. Calls on member states to achieve full compliance with the Water Framework Directive no later than 2027, and on the Commission to issue recommendations, technical assistance and guidance on exemptions after 2027.
  7. Deplores exemptions used for over half of EU bodies of water with limited justification, and asks the Commission to pursue infringement proceedings when exemptions are not justified.
  8. Calls on member states to apply water pricing, cost recovery and the polluter-pays principle, while ensuring everyone has access to affordable good-quality water services.
  9. Calls on the Commission to take strict and swift action on infringements of water legislation and to strengthen its resources for infringement procedures.
  10. Calls for pollutants of emerging concern such as PFAS, microplastics, endocrine-disrupting chemicals and pharmaceuticals to be tackled at source, added to priority substance lists and addressed through extended producer responsibility schemes.
  11. Calls on the Commission to revise the Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive to address remaining pollution, contaminants of emerging concern, energy use and sludge management, and to ensure coherence with the Water Framework Directive.
  12. Calls for alignment of the common agricultural policy, the Nitrates Directive and pesticide rules with the Water Framework Directive, including cuts in fertiliser and pesticide use, and for river connectivity and fish migration measures.

Who is affected

  • Member states, which must implement and enforce water legislation, adopt river basin management plans and meet the 2027 deadline.
  • The Commission, which is asked to fund, guide, monitor and pursue infringements.
  • Farmers and the agriculture sector, which are asked to cut fertiliser and pesticide use and nutrient leakage.
  • Water providers and waste water operators, which must improve treatment, cut leakage and monitor water quality.
  • EU residents, who should get clear information on water quality and affordable water services.

Figures and deadlines

  • 26 % of the EU's annual gross added value is generated by water-dependent sectors.
  • 110 000 bodies of surface water and 13 400 bodies of groundwater are to be protected under the Water Framework Directive.
  • 74 % of groundwater area is in good chemical status and 89 % in good quantitative status.
  • Good chemical status has been achieved for only 38 % of surface water and 40 % is in good ecological status or potential.
  • An additional EUR 253 billion needs to be spent in the EU water sector before 2030.
  • The Commission's evaluation of the Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive puts potential energy savings at between 5 500 GWh and 13 000 GWh annually.
  • Total water abstraction in Europe has decreased by more than 20 % over the last 15 years.
  • Targets to reduce pesticide use and risk by 50 % by 2030 and to restore 25 000 km of free-flowing rivers are cited.

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