Publication of the 2025 Environmental Implementation Review

The EU Commission published on July 7 the 2025 Environmental Implementation Review (EIR). The EIR is a regular reporting tool designed to improve the implementation of EU environmental laws and policies at the Member State level, which looks at:

• circular economy and waste management
• biodiversity and natural capital
• zero pollution (air quality, industrial emissions, major industrial accidents prevention, noise, water quality and management)
• chemicals
• climate action.

The implementation of the EU water acquis is the policy area where most actions are recommended by the EIR. These actions concern the 5 factors of good implementation of the EU environmental acquis identified by the EIR, in particular:

• The significant funding and investment gap, of estimated EUR 22.4 billion targeted for water protection and management (i.e. implementation of the WFD), with this value reaching EUR 122 billion for the overall environmental investment gap that includes circular economy, pollution prevention and control and ecosystems restoration and protection. Investments needs may be even more substantial when considering the Water Resilience Strategy.
• The insufficient progress towards the digitalisation of water data.

Further, the 2025 EIR supports that the achievement of the EU’s environmental targets and legislation goes hand in hand with the EU’s competitiveness objectives and that high environmental standards are a driver for (private sector) innovation. The report highlights that “protecting nature means securing the EUR 234 billion of ecosystem services” while “reducing pollution improves people’s health, water management, and nature; […] resource efficiency (including water efficiency) and therefore economic security”.

You can find the full report and annexes here.