This week at the European Parliament

Exchange of views on the implementation of EU water and flood directives 10.15

Following the Commission’s reports of February on the implementation of the Water Framework Directive and the Floods Directive, covering river basin and flood risk management plans.
The Implementation reports assess the implementation of the Water Framework Directive, Floods Directive, and Marine Strategy Framework Directive and demonstrate that, despite some progress, increased efforts are needed to protect our waters and better manage flood risks. The reports provide recommendations on how to achieve the EU targets on freshwater quality and quantity by 2027, while feeding the upcoming Water Resilience Strategy.
The ENVI Committee urged for enhanced water capacity alongside the current water quality standards and emphasised the necessity for increased funding for the water sector. MEPs called for a comprehensive approach to water management that includes preparedness and prevention measures to floods.

Exchange of views on Commission actions regarding PFAS

PFAS – or the ‘forever chemicals’ – are a large class of thousands of synthetic chemicals that are widely used in everyday consumer products and in industrial applications.
This ENVI Committee debated the proposed ban on PFAS in consumer products, and recalled that certain industrial uses are ‘essential’ and crucial to Europe’s strategic autonomy, following a debrief by the EU Commission on the state of play of the policymaking of the PFAS dossier.
The Water Resilience Strategy was underlined as a window of opportunity for ambitious action on the PFAS dossier.

EP REPORT ON THE WATER RESILIENCE STRATEGY APPROVED

On April 8, the ENVI Committee of the EP approved MEP Thomas BAJADA’s Report on the Water Resilience Strategy with 68 votes in favour, 6 against and 13 abstentions.

This report sets up recommendations on how the EU should manage its water resources more efficiently and respond better to current water-related risks and challenges:
• It proposes the setting up of target for water efficiency and abstraction and calls for higher wastewater reuse and water savings
• It supports a phasing out of PFAS in goods proven of concern for human health and environment
• The report calls for dedicated funding for water resilience in the upcoming MFF that supports the modernisation of water infrastructure, sustainable water management, nature-based solutions and technologies contributing to a water- efficiency.
• Recognises AI tools such as real-time monitoring tools or smart irrigation as key enablers of water efficiency
The report will now be adopted in the 5-8 May Plenary session in Strasbourg. See here the press release.

EVALUATION OF THE BATHING WATER DIRECTIVE PUBLISHED

The EU Commission published in the beginning of March the evaluation report of the entire Bathing Water Directive, from its entry into force in 2006 until the end of the 2023 bathing season.
The Bathing Water Directive contributes to the overall goal of promoting a clean and healthy environment for all and the evaluation was carried in line with the objectives of the European Green Deal and the Zero Pollution Action Plan.
The evaluation concluded that:

• The Bathing Water Directive has been effective in protecting bathers in the EU.
• In 2023, 85% of bathing water sites at sea and on land were rated ‘excellent’
• 96% of the bathing water sites met the minimum water quality standards

However, there is scope for enhancing the actual level of both health and environmental protection in better alignment with the EU’s One Health and Clean Competitiveness ambitions while reducing administrative burdens by enhancing coherence with the Water Framework Directive.

This evaluation report comes with the announcement of the Dashboard of zero pollution performance across regions and cities, which presents bathing water quality and the progress made in each region, based on the existing legal requirements.
Find the full report here and an executive summary here.

OTHER PUBLICATIONS

The World Economic Forum, in collaboration with McKinsey published a report on “Water Futures: mobilising multi-stakeholder action for resilience”.

This report calls for a transformative approach to water resilience, where “resilience” refers to a “system’s ability to anticipate, reduce, accommodate, and recover from disruptions in a timely, efficient, and fair manner”.

The paper emphasises the vital role of public-private collaboration and cross-sector partnerships in meeting emerging challenges, brings forward key data on water usage, investment needs and sectoral data, and seeks to mobilise the freshwater multi- stakeholder community convened by the World Economic Forum.

With a call to action for water systems, this report provides policy frameworks to move towards a water-resilient society.