Water legislation
Nitrates Directive: Commission
drafts act to amend Annex III may endanger water resources
The Commission launched a
four-week consultation (from mid-April) on a draft
act for a Directive to amend Annex III of the Nitrates Directive, which
would allow using RENURE (recovered nitrogen from Manure) fertilisers in
nitrates vulnerable zones.
We submitted our reaction,
expressing our concern regarding the Commission’s draft act and its potential
impact (additional pollution with nitrates) on water resources, in particular
those used for the abstraction of water intended for human consumption, calling
the Commission to:
1.
Ensure that the protection of
water bodies remains central to an amended Nitrates Directive
2.
Carry out an accurate and
thorough impact assessment of its proposal
3.
Clearly define a substitution
approach when allowing for the use of RENURE fertilisers in the proposal.
Water and agriculture
Soil Monitoring Directive: Council strips text of all ambition
The
Council adopted its general approach to the Soil Monitoring Directive on 17
June, stripping the proposed text of any meaningful means to improve soil
conditions in the EU. Member States refused to address the gaps in the
Commission proposal with regards to restoring and preserving soil health, and
removed most provisions to ensure a harmonised framework for monitoring and
assessing soil health. The water cycle needs healthy soils to ensure essential ecosystem
services such as replenishing and purifying groundwater, as well as mitigating
flooding by retaining rainwater where it falls.
Read EurEau’s full reaction here.
Water and the environment
Environmental Quality Standards
(WFD/GWD/EQSD revision): Council position
Member
States agreed on a negotiating
mandate for the revision of water pollutants rules on 19 June,
paving the way for trilogues to start once the new European Parliament settles
in later this year. Among the most notable changes from the Commission proposal
is that the Council endorsed aligning groundwater quality standards for PFAS
with drinking water standards, setting an EU-wide list of pesticide metabolites
and their relevance, and setting new exemptions to the non-deterioration
principle. Member States set a 2039 deadline for most new quality standards to
apply, with the possibility to derogate for a further 12 years.
The European
Parliament adopted its position on this file in September 2023 and will appoint
a new Rapporteur in the coming months, after MEP Milan Brglez was not
re-elected. Trilogues are expected to start this autumn.
Bisphenols:
Member States endorse ban of Bisphenol A in food contact materials
Member States approved a proposal from the
Commission to ban the use of Bisphenol A (BPA) in food contact materials. This
means that, after a phase-out period, the chemical will no longer be allowed to
be used in these products in the EU. Some limited exemptions will apply.
This ban will apply to the use of BPA
in packaging (coatings) and in consumer articles such as reusable plastic drink
bottles, water distribution coolers or other kitchenware.
The final adoption is subject to a
scrutiny period by the EU Parliament and the Council and could enter into force
at the end of 2024.
EurEau welcomes this move. BPA may be found
in drinking water resources. Its removal is technically challenging.
You can read the scientific assessment
from the European Food Safety Authority.
Detergents Regulation: Council position lacks
ambition
Member
States have adopted their negotiating
position for the trilogue negotiations with the European Parliament
on the Detergents Regulation.
We regret
that the Council did not use this revision to bring the Regulation in line with
the EU’s zero pollution ambition. While we support the strengthening of
biodegradability requirements, the time spans are too long (3-5 years).
Furthermore, despite the wide availability of sustainable detergents, the
Council failed to suggest more stringent phosphorous and phosphate limits.
The EurEau
position is here.
PFAS: ECHA slowly progresses on universal PFAS
restriction
The ECHA Risk
Assessment and Social and Economic Analysis Committees continued their
assessment of the UPFAS
restriction proposal
at their June
meetings. Provisional agreement was found on consumer mixtures, cosmetics, ski
wax, metal plating and manufacture of metal products.
The
forever chemicals PFAS are a major pollutant of our scarce water resources and are
very difficult to remove and destroy. EurEau is therefore calling for a prompt
and far-reaching ban of all PFAS uses. We regret that the ECHA processes do not
take sufficient account of the benefits of phasing out these substances.
The September ECHA meetings will
focus on textiles, upholstery, leather, apparel, carpets, food contact
materials and packaging, and petroleum and mining.
The EurEau
position on PFAS is here.
Nature Restoration Law: Final hurdle cleared
Member
States gave their final approval to the Nature Restoration Law on 17 June after
months of deadlock following a trilogue agreement in November 2023, which the
Parliament endorsed in February of this year. Following the positive Council
vote, the Regulation will be published in the Official Journal.
The law aims
at rehabilitating at least 20% of the EU’s land and sea areas by 2030 and all
degraded ecosystems by 2050. It establishes obligations and targets on
different fields of action, such as farmlands, pollinators, rivers, forests and
urban areas, to gradually reverse the environmental damage caused by climate
change and unchecked human activity. The text was significantly weakened last
year in the Parliament. The result is that now that Member States have more
flexibility on how to implement the rules and stating that restoration measures
should be prioritised in Natura 2000 protected sites.
