New EurEau web and internet sites
We launched our new look website and intranet last week. All the information you need is now easier to find.

EurEau General Assembly 2018 Rome
The EurEau General Assembly approved two position papers; one on the Drinking Water Directive and one on the Water Framework Directive post 2027.




EurEau and third-country associations
The EurEau General Assembly approved the possibility for water associations from the countries covered by the European Neighbourhood Policy and not qualifying for EurEau membership to sign an agreement with EurEau. These agreements open certain EurEau activities to the associations concerned.




Hobnobbing at EU2 in Helsinki
Two important workshops will be organised in Helsinki during the EU2 meeting. The first one will be with the ECHA director Mr Bjorn Hansen to talk about REACH and water resource protection, focussing on EU2 concerns. The second workshop will be a reflection on energy management in the water sector.





Hello and goodbye!
EU2 is undergoing some changes. We welcome Denis Snidaro who will replace Patrick Arnaud (France). We are also saying goodbye to Riisto Saarinen (Finland) and to former EurEau president Andreas Angelakis (Greece). Thank you to everyone for all your contributions over the years, and best wishes for the future.





EU news
New Commission proposals
The European Commission put forward two proposals, one to facilitate water reuse in agricultural irrigation, and the other to reduce marine litter.
Proposal for a Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council on minimum requirements for water reuse
Proposal for a Directive of the European Parliament and of the Council on the reduction of the impact of certain plastic products on the environment





Joint statement on the EU Fertiliser Regulation
EurEau together with the ESPP and other organisations are working on a common declaration to urge the European Parliament and the Council to finalise the Fertiliser Regulation as soon as possible, as implementation is eagerly awaited by industry and stakeholders to develop the Circular Economy.



Nitrate Directive: Implementation report sees only slight improvement
The European Commission’s implementation report on agricultural nitrates pollution concludes that nitrate levels in groundwater and surface freshwaters have “slightly improved” since 2008. Nitrates were still above 50 mg/l at over 13% of monitoring stations 2012-2015, compared to 14% during the four preceding years. The report also finds that the slightly positive trend in many regions contrasts with increased nitrate concentrations in others. Malta, Spain and Germany are the most affected countries.





Drinking Water Directive
The Rapporteur’s (Michel Dantin, EPP group) draft report on the Drinking Water Directive is available in English here. The report will be considered in the ENVI Committee on 7 June. Deadline for amendments is 13 June.
The Council’s Working Party on the Environment considered the draft Presidency compromise text on 24 May. The Environment Council policy debate on ‘access to water’ (art.13) and ‘materials and products in contact with drinking water’ will be held on 25 June.




16 May: Intergroup meeting on the Drinking Water Directive
The Rapporteur on the DWD, MEP Michel Dantin, chaired the meeting of the working group ‘agriculture and water management’ of the intergroup on ‘biodiversity, climate change and sustainable development’ on 16 May. The meeting focused on the European Commission’s proposal on the DWD and Director General Calleja Crespo (DG Envi) delivered the keynote speech.
The Bulgarian Presidency was invited to present the developments of the legislative proposal in the Council while the Committee of the Regions representative outlined the main points embodied in his opinion to Parliament and Council. The Vice-President of EurEau, Claudia Castell-Exner, gave the view of the water sector, highlighting the positive elements of the proposal and those which need improvement. A speaker from EUROCITIES presented the perspective of municipalities while ANEC gave the consumers’ opinion. In conclusion, Mr Dantin shared the main ideas that inform his report. All presentations are available here.
http://ebcd.org/event/revision-of-the-drinking-water-directive/




Committee of the Regions opinion on the DWD
The Committee of the Regions adopted its opinion to the Parliament and Council on the DWD.

Plant Protection Products Regulation
MEP Pavel Poc (S&D group) drafted an own-initiative report on the implementation of the Plant Protection Product Regulation. The European Parliament’s Envi Committee can propose amendments by 12 June.





CAP: protection of water resources watered down?
The Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) will undergo a major reform initiated by the Commission proposals expected for early June 2018. It seems the proposal will be weak on cross-compliance with water-related legislation. Environmental goals will be in the form of efforts (number of farmers receiving training) and not as clear environmental targets (compliance with legislation).




Other news
Publication on water reuse

The online publication of Water reuse: from ancient to modern times and the future by [former EurEau president] Andreas N. Angelakis, Takashi Asano, Akissa Bahri, Blanca Jimenez and George Tchobanoglous, is now available. It is published in Frontiers in Environmental Science, in the section on waste water Management, and available on open access here.



EurEau at Powerstep workshop in IFAT
Kostas Kotoulas form EYATH SA, Greece, represented EurEau at the panel discussion of Powerstep workshop in IFAT on 17 May. He spoke about the difficulty in managing both compliances with regulation and energy consumption/production optimisation.




News from our members
Portugal: APDA elects Rui Godinho as president
Rui Godinho, the Portuguese representative in the EurEau General Assembly was elected as president of the Board of Directors of APDA, the Portuguese EurEau member.

European Parliament rapporteur visits Dutch drinking water industry
Our Dutch member Vewin welcomed Michel Dantin, rapporteur of the revision of the European Drinking Water Directive (DWD), for the visit of the production site of the Dunea drinking water company. The DWD contains rules for the quality of drinking water in Europe, and its revision is followed closely by EurEau. You can read the full report of Dantin’s visit here.





Estonian Research on the Development of strategies towards a sustainable water sector
The Estonian Waterworks Association published its study on the ‘Development of strategies towards a sustainable water sector’.

The English version is here.



Communications news
Nordic Drinking Water Conference in June 2018 Oslo, Norway
The Nordiwa - Nordic Drinking Water Conference in Oslo is still open for registration until June 1. More information on nordiwa.no.




Public Utilities Conference in September 2018 in Podcetrtek, Slovenia
The Slovenian Chamber of Public Utilities will host its eighth Public Utilities Conference on 21-22 September 2018 in Podcetrtek, Slovenia. The conference will bring together national and local authorities, public utility companies and other experts to discuss quality management and optimisation of services in the public utility sector. EurEau’s Secretary General Oliver Loebel will join the conference as a keynote speaker to highlight EurEau’s view on EU legislation with influence on drinking water supply and wastewater management.
More information on the conference (in Slovenian) can be found here: https://konferenca-komunala.gzs.si/ .





Other events
4 June – A Brussels workshop will be hosted by BDEW and DVGW and discuss the drinking water directive, the water-agriculture nexus and the EU strategy on pharmaceuticals in the environment with key stakeholders.

5-6 June – the Polish Association IGWP will hold an International Fair and Conference - WOD-KAN - in Bydgoszcz. More…
11-12 June –Third European Sustainable Phosphorus Conference, Helsinki. Deadline for proposing presentations on sustainable phosphorus policy or management actions, or of business or action success stories, for ESPC3 is 28th February. More information is here
11-13 June – Nordiwa - Nordic Drinking Water Conference in Oslo. More information – here. Deadline for registration is 1st of June.
26-31 August - World Water Week on the theme ‘Water, ecosystems and human development’.
16-21 September - IWA World Water Congress & Exhibition 2018, Tokyo
20-21 September - EU Water Conference will take place in Vienna. It will be a big event, co-organised by the European Commission and the Austrian Presidency of the Council of the EU. Draft programme and more details. EurEau will be invited to speak). Registration.
21-22 September - Public Utilities Conference in Podcetrtek, Slovenia.
Conference Website.
7 November - Young Water Leaders first global event, Berlin (InterContinental Hotel) http://www.ourfuturewater.com/berlin/




You can see a list of events happening around Europe here.
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You can keep up with all the EurEau news via our website, our blog on the EU and on our Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter feeds. For more events, visit our calendar.