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Adopted text

Surface water and groundwater pollutants

TA-9-2023-0302 · P9_TA(2023)0302 · PE740.884

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Parliament's amended version of the proposal to update EU water law adds pollutants like PFAS, glyphosate, and bisphenols to watch lists and quality standards, and strengthens monitoring and public access to justice. It requires member states to phase out priority hazardous substance discharges within 20 years, prioritise source-control measures, and set stricter standards for vulnerable areas. The text also introduces extended producer responsibility studies, a voluntary joint EU monitoring facility, and more frequent reviews of pollutant lists.

Key points

  1. Adds PFAS, glyphosate, bisphenols, and other substances to priority lists and requires quality standards for PFAS total and Bisphenols Total.
  2. Requires phasing out priority hazardous substance emissions within 20 years of listing, without prejudice to stricter timelines in other EU laws.
  3. Mandates that programmes of measures prioritise source-control measures, with end-of-pipe measures only as a complement.
  4. Sets stricter standards for protected areas and requires more stringent groundwater threshold values where needed to protect associated surface waters or ecosystems.
  5. Expands watch lists to a minimum of five substances, including microplastics and antimicrobial resistance genes once methods are ready, and considers sulfates and xanthates.
  6. Requires member states to monitor at least two groundwater stations and more frequent monitoring for substances with seasonal peaks.
  7. Mandates public access to monitoring data and establishes access to justice for NGOs and individuals to challenge decisions under the Water Framework Directive.
  8. Requires the Commission to assess extended producer responsibility and set up a voluntary joint EU monitoring facility within one year.
  9. Shortens review cycles for pollutant lists to every four years and requires more frequent reports from ECHA.
  10. Adds provisions for assessing impacts of energy transition industries and for protecting vulnerable areas like karst and former industrial sites.

Who is affected

  • Member states: must implement stricter monitoring, reporting, and phase-out obligations, and ensure public access to data and justice.
  • Producers of products containing listed substances: may face extended producer responsibility costs for monitoring.
  • Farmers and agriculture: face new standards for pesticides and fertilisers, but also incentives for better water management.
  • Environmental NGOs and citizens: gain wider access to justice to challenge water-related decisions.

Figures and deadlines

  • 20 years: deadline for phasing out priority hazardous substance emissions after listing.
  • 10 times lower: groundwater threshold values compared to surface water EQS, unless risk justifies otherwise.
  • 5 substances: minimum number on watch lists for surface and groundwater.
  • 2 monitoring stations: minimum per member state for groundwater watch list.
  • 4 years: review cycle for pollutant lists and ECHA reports.
  • 12 January 2026: deadline for delegated acts setting PFAS total quality standards.
  • 18 months: deadline to identify monitoring methods for microplastics and antimicrobial resistance genes.