EurEau News
State of the European Union: Water resilience moves up the EU agenda
Europe’s hot summer has underlined the growing pressure on water resources, while water and water security moving higher up the EU political agenda. Following the State of the European Union address, we welcomed the Commission’s focus on water as fundamental to Europe’s security, industry and food security.
Political ambition needs to translate into action. We need better protection of our water resources, pollution prevention at source and investment in infrastructure, all to improve water efficiency.
We are also one of 30+ organisations calling for nature-based solutions to play a stronger role in climate resilience, alongside resilient water infrastructure.
The EU already has much of the necessary legislation and a Water Resilience Strategy. The priority now should be effective implementation, predictable investment and closing the gap between Europe’s water resilience ambitions and what is happening on the ground.
We are hiring!
EurEau is looking for a Policy Advisor to join our Brussels-based team. Read about the vacancy and how to apply here.
EurEau Annual Report 2025
Our Annual Report looks back at a year of progress, from helping shape the EU Water Resilience Strategy and defending the Polluter Pays Principle to strengthening protection against PFAS and celebrating 50 years of bringing Europe’s water professionals together.
The report highlights our policy work, advocacy and priorities for the year ahead.
Thank you to our members, experts and partners for their contribution throughout 2025.
You can read it here.
Speaking out
On 1 July, Oliver Loebel, EurEau Secretary General, participated in the panel discussion of the BDEW-organised event ‘From Ambition to Impact: Implementing the Nitrates Directive for Europe’s Water Resilience’.
On 9 July, Oliver spoke at the ‘2026 PFAS & Emerging Contaminants conference’ in Brussels.
On 10 July, Martin Silic, EurEau Policy Advisor, participated in a Commission Workshop on Water Data Sharing & Digitalisation discussing the future EU policy framework on water sector digitalisation.
On 8 September, Oliver participated in a panel discussion at the final workshop of the ZeroPM project (Brussels).
On 9 September, Martin participated in a Commission and EU Digital Water Coalition Workshop discussing the future EU Digitalisation Action Plan for Water.
On 15 September, Oliver chaired the session on financing at the event organised by the European Social and Economic Committee to prepare UN Water conference.
Also on 15 September, Oliver intervened at the NATO Resilience Committee dinner (Brussels).
Between 15 and 17 September, Martin participated in the International School on Water Reuse, in Turin, covering a multidisciplinary approach to water reuse and a visit of the SMAT wastewater treatment plant in Castiglione Torinese.
On 21 September, Sébastien Mouret, EurEau Policy Advisor, spoke at the European Water Academy launch event in Brussels.
On 22 September, Martin represented EurEau at the 9th Meeting of the Zero Pollution Stakeholder Platform.
On 24 September, Gari Villa-Landa, EurEau Senior Policy Advisor, participated at the DVGW EU Regulatory Framework Committee, speaking about the recast UWWTD and the EPR.
On 29 September, Martin was a panellist at the Festival dell’Acqua, in Rome, organised by Utilitalia, discussing the role of water services in the era of instability.
On 30 September, Oliver was a panellist at the DVGW congress discussing strategy to end PFAS pollution (Bonn, Germany).
EU news
Water legislation
DWD: simpler rules needed for in-situ products
We support the move towards a European certification scheme for drinking water contact materials.
For products made on site, we are calling for existing certificates for pre- and intermediate products to remain valid until 2032 rather than being treated as new products during the transition. We also want to avoid requiring individual conformity assessments for newly built or renovated drinking water structures using in-situ products.
Clear transitional arrangements would reduce unnecessary costs and administrative burdens while the European system is introduced.
UWWTD: Advocate General opinion adds uncertainty for wastewater operators
The Advocate General’s opinion on Poland’s challenge to EPR in the recast UWWTD was published on 3 September. The opinion upholds EPR but leaves important questions about implementation and financing unresolved.
We are calling for clarity while awaiting the final ruling from the Court of Justice. For water services, the priority is a clear and workable approach to implementation.
The Polluter Pays Principle must be upheld: the costs of removing pollution should not be passed on to consumers or water service operators.
Water reuse: our contribution to future reuse policy
Our new paper on future EU water reuse policy calls for a voluntary, locally driven approach that reflects different water availability, demand and infrastructure across Europe.
We see wastewater operators as strategic partners in developing reuse while protecting drinking water resources. We also support full cost recovery for water reuse and see no need to extend the current Water Reuse Regulation to additional uses, including industrial reuse.
The Commission plans to launch a call for evidence and public consultation on the evaluation of the Water Reuse Regulation by the end of 2026. Our paper sets out our position ahead of that process.
Water and the environment
PFAS: EFSA lowers proposed safe intake level for TFA
The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has lowered the acceptable daily intake for trifluoroacetic acid (TFA), a very persistent and mobile PFAS, from 0.05 to 0.014 mg per kilogram of bodyweight per day.
We are calling on decision makers to phase out fluorinated gases and ban TFA-releasing pesticides. TFA is highly persistent and difficult to remove once it reaches water resources, making prevention at source essential.
A new GLOBAL 2000 study also reports that TFA concentrations in Austrian groundwater more than doubled between 2018–2019 and 2024 across all 16 monitoring sites. The findings reinforce the need to prevent pollution before it reaches water resources.
Industrial Emissions Directive: EP amendments could weaken pollution controls
Proposed amendments to the Industrial Emissions Directive as part of the Environmental Omnibus could weaken pollution controls introduced in the 2024 revision. An ITRE (European Parliament) committee opinion would introduce a “presumption of disproportionality” where pollution control measures cost more than 10% above the minimum required.
We are concerned that this could shift the costs of pollution away from polluters and towards water bills and taxpayers. We are calling for a Parliament position that maintains the control-at-source principle and ensures that those responsible for pollution continue to bear the costs of preventing it.
Taxonomy and MFF: DNSH principle
The Commission has launched a targeted public consultation on how the ‘do no significant harm’ (DNSH) principle should apply under the 2028–2034 Multiannual Financial Framework. This consultation will help the Commission prepare a single and simple guidance on the application of the DNSH principle by 1 January 2027. The aim is to ensure that future EU funding rules remain practical and workable for the water sector.
We submitted a reaction to the Commission’s consultation. You can find it here.
Water and agriculture
Food and Feed Omnibus: Water protection at stake
Both Council and EU Parliament are struggling to agree their respective positions on the pesticide rules within the Food and Feed Omnibus proposal.
We see the risk that the amendments proposed by the co-rapporteurs and several MEPs will have on the protection of drinking water resources.
Nitrates Directive: Evaluation confirms value for water protection
The European Commission’s evaluation of the Nitrates Directive, published in July, highlights the benefits of the 1992 legislation in protecting EU water resources from agricultural nitrate pollution. We welcome its conclusion that the Directive remains an effective tool for water protection, while recognising that implementation can be improved. The evaluation also demonstrates the flexibility of the existing legal framework and its ability to accommodate national circumstances. While no decision has been announced on a possible revision, the evaluation indicates that the Directive remains fit for purpose. We therefore call on the Commission to focus on working with Member States to improve implementation and achieve full compliance.
Water as an essential service
Data centres: Commission proposal weak on water consumption
In June, the Commission proposed new legislation to facilitate the expansion of cloud, data centre and computing infrastructure across the EU (CADA). This was followed in September by a Commission Delegated Regulation establishing a common Union rating scheme for data centres. The Commission has also launched a call for evidence and public consultation on a future regulation establishing common EU minimum performance standards for data centres in Europe.
While EurEau supports measures to strengthen EU’s cloud and AI ecosystem, we call on decision makers to make the protection of the quantity and quality of drinking water resources a key criterion when designating special acceleration zones for data centres.
The EurEau position will be finalised shortly.
Digitalisation: practical recommendations for the water sector
Our recommendations for the European Commission’s Call for Evidence on the future digitalisation of the water sector are published. We support digitalisation as a tool to improve efficiency, resilience and infrastructure management, but stress that it must remain focused on the core mission of water services.
Our recommendations highlight cybersecurity, data governance, interoperability, skills and appropriate funding as priorities. We also caution against introducing new binding digitalisation requirements. Digital tools can support better water services, but they cannot replace investment in physical infrastructure or wider measures needed to improve water resilience.
Critical infrastructure: we join call for stronger resilience
We joined Connect Europe, Eurelectric, and Hope, all European associations representing critical infrastructure, in a call to NATO Allies urging them to realise their commitment and invest up to 1.5% of GDP in societal resilience by 2035 with a particular focus on critical infrastructures resilience. The joint statement is available here.
As a follow-up, EurEau was invited to the NATO Resilience Committee dinner to present the preparedness situation of the water services sector.
INSPIRE Directive: security safeguards remain a concern
As part of its 2025 environmental omnibus, the Commission proposed a simplification of the INSPIRE directive on sharing spatial data.
We are disappointed to see that neither Member States nor the EU Parliament’s Environment Committee support the idea of limiting public access to security-relevant parts of critical infrastructures. The trilogue can start when Parliament has adopted its position on 6 October. Our position is here.
Public Procurement Act: simpler rules, but a missed opportunity for water services
We welcome the European Commission’s proposal to consolidate the three existing EU public procurement directives into a single legislative act, helping to simplify the procurement framework. However, consolidation alone does not resolve the specific challenges facing water services.
The proposal maintains different procurement regimes for drinking water and wastewater operators, despite both relying on fixed networks, complex and asset-intensive infrastructure, long-term investment and essential public services. We believe this is a missed opportunity to provide greater legal clarity and coherence across the water sector. A more consistent approach could reduce administrative complexity, legal uncertainty and inefficient procurement processes. More… and our position is here.
Other news
Help bring the urban water cycle to LEGO
Ever wondered what happens to water before it reaches your tap, and where it goes afterwards? A new LEGO Ideas project brings the urban water cycle to life, from water intake and treatment through distribution and storage to wastewater collection, treatment and return to the environment.
Built with almost 5,000 pieces, the model also celebrates the people behind these essential services, with seven minifigures representing water-sector professions.
The project needs support to move forward. Support it on LEGO Ideas and share it with your colleagues and networks.
Support the Urban Water Cycle project
Events
4-8 October 2026 – IWA World Water Congress & Exhibition 2026, Glasgow, UK.
4-5 November 2026 – WWT’s Drinking Water Quality Europe Conference 2026
| Amsterdam, covering the Drinking Water Directive, PFAS, emerging contaminants, climate change and ageing infrastructure – https://bit.ly/EurEauxDWQE26.
12 October 2026 – 4PM-5.30PM Dutch Water Authorities will have an informal opening reception in Brussels, as part of European Week of Regions and Cities, with opening remarks on the UWWTD/EPR. This is followed the next day from 2.00-3.30PM by ‘European Water Dialogue’. Register and get the full address by emailing Annelie at vanderwel / @ / vewin-uvw.be.
20-22 October 2026 – CIPRE 2026 – Critical Infrastructure Protection & Resilience Europe (CIPRE), Brussels, Belgium. Delegate discount of 25% Use code: EAU25 – Register at: www.cipre-expo.com/buy-tickets/.
29-30 October 2026 – Circular Water Economy Conference 2026; Nicosia, Cyprus
18–20 November 2026 – EBC annual benchmarking workshop, Madrid, Spain. www.waterbenchmark.org.
7 December 2026 – Zero Pollution Forum organised by the European Commission and the Committee of the Regions. This registration page offers you the possibility to propose hosting a stand in the exhibition space to present innovative and successful zero pollution solutions.
18-20 May 2027 – Porto, Portugal – SWAN 17th Annual Conference on “Connected Resilience: Transforming Complexity into Capability” More…
25-28 May 2027 –23rd Euro-INBO Conference in Brussels, Belgium – International Network of Basin Organizations(INBO) on Implementing EU Water Directives in national and transboundary river basins.