The EU is unlikely to meet even half the targets to reduce pollution by 2030, according to the monitoring and outlook assessment published jointly by the European Commission's Joint Research Center and the EEA. The assessment serves as regular bi-annual check-up on the progress of Member States in achieving the EU’s zero-pollution targets.

The report is worrying, especially given the apparent shift in Brussels away from strengthening resource protection across the EU.

In just one telling indicator, the report finds that the EU is unlikely to reduce microplastic emissions into the environment by 30%. Wastewater Treatment Plants are not a source of microplastics but can act as a pathway releasing a very small fraction of the particles they receive to the aquatic environment. The microplastics they retain can pollute the sewage sludge, jeopardising nutrient and resource recovery.

Soil is also facing endangerment. The goal of reducing soil nutrient losses by 50% is “unlikely” due to the “persistent challenges of agricultural runoff and fertiliser use.” This leads to the pollution of increasingly scarce drinking water resources.

Healthy soils are also indispensable to sustainable agriculture and climate change adaptation as they can protect against the worst effects of droughts and floods. Still, we remain doubtful that the future Soil Monitoring Law will have any significant impact on the health of European soils in future.

The report highlights “the necessity for ambitious waste prevention strategies and a transition toward a circular economy.”

The EU needs to enforce a sound regulatory framework for pollutants entering the environment that will contribute not only to protect water resources but also to make Europe and its economies resilient, competitive and circular while contributing to public health.