Publication Category: Statements, Letters & Other Papers

FIEC and EurEau encourage the EU to maintain EPR in the recast UWWTD

Call to swiftly implement the recast UWWTD to protect public health, the environment and Europe’s competitiveness

We strongly believe that the rUWWTD is a crucial tool for improving Europe’s water quality, protecting aquatic biodiversity and public health. Its EPR scheme is a proportionate instrument to encourage sustainable market practices and pollution reduction whilst spreading the cost of pollution equitably and protecting the European food value chain.

This joint statement by 42 organisations calls on EU policymakers to ensure chemical transparency and traceability in products as part of the transition to a clean and circular economy. It highlights the risks of hazardous substances to recycling, water services, public health, and competitiveness, urging strong implementation of existing strategies and regulations.

This paper examines the financing of micropollutant removal under the EU’s recast Urban Wastewater Treatment Directive (UWWTD), which introduces an Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) scheme. Since pharmaceuticals and cosmetics are identified as major sources of micropollutants in urban wastewater, their producers will be required to cover at least 80% of the associated treatment costs. The […]

The current geopolitical situation and the objective to transition to a climate-neutral society by 2050, make it urgent to reuse the renewable and continuous supply of resources and energy which pass through our waste water systems. Waste water contains many valuable resources, most notably nutrients for fertilisers (nitrogen and phosphorus), water and energy. These valuable resources […]