The EU institutions have reached a long-awaited deal on updated rules for pollution of EU surface and groundwater, but Member States have managed to delay and weaken obligations.
Yesterday, nearly three years after the European Commission proposed an update to the lists of pollutants that EU Member States must monitor and control in surface and groundwater, theEU institutions reached
an agreement.
While the deal requires Member States to monitor and limit pollution of new substances, among them more pesticides (including glyphosate), a group of PFAS, and – for the first time – pharmaceuticals, Member
States managed to secure long timelines to act. Member States have until 2039, with the possibility to delay
until 2045, to comply with the new standards.
While close to 200,000 people recently raised their voice against deregulation of environmental laws, the
deal included Member States’ (and industry’s) wish to weaken the non-deterioration principle of the WFD,
by the introduction of two new exemptions that allow short term negative impacts, and deterioration of
status following relocation of water or sediment.
Sara Johansson, Senior Policy Officer for Water Pollution Prevention, European Environmental Bureau,
said: “After more than three years of negotiations, the EU has finally agreed on updated water pollution standards – a necessary step forward. But this progress is severely undermined by the excessive timelines
Member States gave themselves to limit pollution in EU waters. This weakens the Water Framework
Directive’s potential as a tool for prevention. Member States must now include concrete measures to stop further pollution in the 4th River Basin Management Plans,” said Sara Johansson, EEB.
Claire Baffert, Senior Policy Officer, Water and Climate Change Adaptation, WWF, said:
“Last night’s deal is a direct attack on access to clean water and our environment, letting companies dump more toxic substances into our rivers. To add insult to injury, some industry lobbies keep pushing
the European Commission to weaken core water protection rules under the Water Framework Directive with more exemptions – but it must not give in to pressure and should instead listen to citizens across
Europe.”
Manon Rouby, Policy Officer and Legal Advisor, Pesticide Action Network (PAN)Europe, said:
“All over Europe, our waters are polluted with TFA, a small PFAS pesticide residue that can be toxic to reproduction. By not monitoring these substances immediately in all types of water bodies , the EU misses a significant opportunity to take water and health protection with the importance and urgency it
requires.“
Erik Ruiz, Safer Pharma Programme Manager, Health Care Without Harm Europe, said:
“For the first time, Europe has acknowledged pharmaceutical pollution as a serious water quality threat: a
crucial step forward. But delaying real action ignores the urgent risks pharmaceuticals pose to ecosystems, biodiversity, and public health. Pharmaceutical and antibiotic residues in our waters fuel
antimicrobial resistance, one of the greatest health crises of our time”.
Lucille Labayle, Water Quality and Health Policy Officer, Surfrider Foundation Europe, said:
“It is a short-lived relief to see a deal finally struck, three years after the Commission’s proposal.
Unfortunately, last night’s decision leaves Europe’s waters largely exposed to harmful substances for
many years to come still. By caving to private, short-sighted interests, EU leaders have failed communities
who rely on aquatic ecosystem every day.”
Why this matters – and what happens next
The multiple delays to the adoption of the updated water pollution standards leave little time for Member State authorities to plan and include measures to tackle the new pollutants in the next River Basin
Management Plans (RBMP), which need to be finalized by end of 2027.
New rules on monitoring and reporting will help improve the picture of water pollution across Europe, including a mandatory ‘Watch List’ for groundwater that requires Member States to monitor pollutants of
emerging concern in groundwater (already in place for surface water), the use of modern monitoring
techniques that capture the combined “cocktail” effects of substances (so called effect-based methods) and regular reporting of monitoring data to the European Environment Agency (EEA).
Next, the deal needs to be adopted by the European Parliament and the Council.