EFFOP welcomes the Council’s move to protect water from pollutants

EFFOP welcomes the Council of the EU formal adoption of the Directive on priority substances in the field of water policy, and consider it an important step forward. Strengthening the protection of surface water and groundwater is essential for safeguarding marine ecosystems, public health and the long-term sustainability of the blue value chain.

The Directive will update the list of pollutants affecting surface water and groundwater, including pesticides, pharmaceuticals and PFAS. The Directive amends the water framework directive, the groundwater directive and the directive on environmental quality standards, aligning EU water policy with the latest scientific evidence.

The revised rules also tighten environmental standards for several substances and strengthen monitoring across the EU. One measure to achieve this is the introduction of effect-based monitoring of surface water, to assess the impact of chemical mixtures. Furthermore, EU countries may use remote sensing and earth observation technologies for their monitoring. This means that EU countries going forward must report more systematically about biological and chemical qualities and the overall status of water bodies for more reliable data across the EU.

Next step
The Council’s adoption concludes its part of the legislative procedure. The European Parliament is expected to hold its final vote by the end of March.

EU countries will have until 2039 to comply with the new standards for both surface water and groundwater. For substances with revised and more stringent environmental quality standards in surface water, the compliance deadline is 2033.

Background
Chemical pollution of surface water and groundwater continues to pose a serious con-cern for both public health and aquatic ecosystems. Exposure to hazardous substances can harm aquatic life, causing both immediate and long-term effects that disrupt biodi-versity and ecosystem balance.

Findings from the river basin management plans prepared under the Water Framework Directive show that a substantial share of Europe’s waters remains below the required standards: 46 per cent of surface waters and 24 per cent of groundwater bodies fail to achieve good chemical status, with performance varying widely across Member States.

EFFOP will continue to engage constructively with the EU institutions to ensure that implementation supports both environmental protection and sustainable food and feed production.

To read more about the Directive follow this link.