The European Parliament and EU Council have reached a provisional political agreement on a Commission proposal to update the EU’s lists of water pollutants.
The revision ensures that the lists of water pollutants will be aligned with the latest scientific advice and that new substances will be monitored and more strictly controlled in surface waters and groundwater.
Three pieces of EU legislation will accordingly be adapted: the Water Framework Directive, the Environmental Quality Standard Directive and the Groundwater Directive. The new measures will make the EU more water resilient and mark an important contribution towards its zero-pollution ambition.
New substances with well-documented harmful effects on the environment and human health will be added to the lists of water pollutants. In addition, the agreement updates the limits for pollutants already included in the lists.
Six substances no longer posing an EU-wide risk are moved to the lists of pollutants of national concern thanks to action taken to ban or restrict their use, in line with the latest scientific evidence.
In the spirit of simplification, the agreement introduces certain short-term exemptions to the principle of non-deterioration of water quality and quantity. The agreement also reduces administrative burden for Member States.
The European Parliament and the Council now have to formally adopt the new Directive, which will enter into force 20 days after its publication in the Official Journal of the EU.
The EU Member States will then need to implement its requirements and transpose the amendments to the three relevant Directives: Water Framework Directive, the Environmental Quality Standard Directive and the Groundwater Directive, by 22 December 2027.
Commission’s proposal for an updated list of pollutants in surface and groundwater
