Brussels, 23 October 2018: The European Parliament today voted to improve the European Commission’s proposal on the Drinking Water Directive by protecting consumers’ health and keeping drinking water affordable.

The European Parliament, led by MEP Michel Dantin, increased the legal clarity of the Commission’s proposal.

“European water operators will keep working to provide safe and affordable drinking water. We are confident that the negotiations in the Council will result in additional positive elements to keep our tap water safe all over Europe” says Carla Chiaretti, Head of Policy with EurEau.

The directive will continue to guarantee the protection of consumers’ health by including:
~ the new provision to ensure that materials in contact with drinking water are safe and protect public health
~ a clearer definition of responsibilities between the various stakeholders involved in the implementation of the risk-based approach
~ the re-introduction of derogations and the indicator parameters
~ an improved definition of information available to the public
~ a reasonable monitoring frequency for the quality parameters.

MEPs decided to follow only partially the scientifically sound WHO recommendations on the quality parameters.