EurEau is very disappointed with today’s news that the Commission had no option left but to withdraw its proposal for the Sustainable Use of Plant Protection Products Regulation. This follows the bill’s rejection by the European Parliament and diverging opinions in the Council.

While this is a logical step given the current deadlock, we cannot celebrate this retreat from environmental protection and public health. The continued release of pesticides and their metabolites to groundwater and surface water bodies will put further pressure on drinking water resources in many regions. The cost of removing these substances from raw drinking water is shouldered by water consumers. This system is neither fair nor sustainable but will persist as long as the root causes are not tackled.

Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced that “the Commission could make a new proposal with much more mature content and with the stakeholders together.” Given the current political atmosphere, it seems rather unlikely that a new proposal will substantially improve the protection of drinking water resources.