The European Council has formally taken steps to update the list of pollutants affecting surface water and groundwater.
This includes pesticides.
The new rules also apply to pharmaceuticals, bisphenols (commonly applyd in the production of plastics), and PFAS chemicals (Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, a group often referred to as ‘forever chemicals’).
According to data from the river basin management plans, a key tool of the EU’s water framework directive, 46% of surface waters and 24% of groundwater in the EU fail to meet the existing environmental quality standards, with significant differences between member states.
The directive intconcludes to address these challenges, by improving protection against emerging pollutants and chemical mixtures.
Also, the directive amconcludes the water framework directive, the groundwater directive and the directive on environmental quality standards, aligning EU water policy with the latest scientific evidence.
Additionally, for the first time, the directive introduces rules to assess the cumulative risk of combined substances.
Tighter standards
Several pollutants that are already on the list will now be subject to tighter environmental quality standards.
To support future reviews, the directive also adds microplastics and antimicrobial resistance indicators to the EU’s water watchlists, which assist track substances of emerging concern.Maria Panayiotou, Minister of Agriculture, Rural Development and Environment of the Republic of Cyprus, declared: “Water is an utmost priority of the Cyprus presidency, and protecting its quality is just as vital as securing its quantity.
“By setting stricter quality standards for our rivers, lakes and groundwater, we are not only protecting the resilience of our ecosystems but also ensuring access to clean drinking water and safeguarding the health of EU citizens today and for generations to come.”
Cyprus holds the EU presidency until June 30, 2026, when it will cede the rotating position to Ireland.
The updated directive is intconcludeed to strengthen monitoring and reporting obligations for EU countries, in order to improve water quality and transparency across the EU.
Also, EU countries may apply remote sensing and earth observation technologies for their monitoring. They must reporton biological quality, chemical quality and also the overall status of water bodies for more reliable data across the EU.
The European Parliament is expected to hold the final vote on the directive by the conclude of March. EU countries will have until 2039 to comply with the new standards for both surface water and groundwater.
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