Wastewater treatment: Who pays the bill for cleaning up micropollutants

This paper examines the financing of micropollutant removal under the EU’s recast Urban Wastewater Treatment Directive (UWWTD), which introduces an Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) scheme. Since pharmaceuticals and cosmetics are identified as major sources of micropollutants in urban wastewater, their producers will be required to cover at least 80% of the associated treatment costs. The […]

Joint letter: Safeguarding the EPR scheme in the recast UWWTD

The recast UWWTD is a crucial tool for improving Europe’s water quality, protecting aquatic biodiversity and public health as well as promoting circular solutions. Its EPR scheme is a proportionate instrument to encourage sustainable market practices and pollution reduction whilst spreading the cost of pollution equitably. We therefore call on the European Commission to uphold […]

Joint letter: calling for swift adoption of updated EU water pollution standards

Healthy waters are not only a vital natural resource for human well-being and the environment but also a key driverof Europe’s resilience and global competitiveness. Only by upholding the integrity of the WFD, maintaining a strong,predictable regulatory framework, and ensuring its effective implementation can we safeguard Europe’s waterresources while fostering innovation, investment, and economic prosperity.

Letter: An ambitious REACH revision is key for the Circular Economy

A group of companies and organisations urge the Commission to develop an ambitious proposal for a targetedrevision of REACH that prevents harm and avoids ‘circular pollution’. We are convinced that REACH can become the needed cornerstone towards a toxic-free circular economy that enhances the global competitiveness of European industry while benefiting human health and our […]

Public statement – Call for a European commitment to better utilise resources and energy from waste water

The current geopolitical situation and the objective to transition to a climate-neutral society by 2050, make it urgent to reuse the renewable and continuous supply of resources and energy which pass through our waste water systems. Waste water contains many valuable resources, most notably nutrients for fertilisers (nitrogen and phosphorus), water and energy. These valuable resources […]

EurEau expectations in the UWWTD revision process: public statement

European waste water service providers see the revision of the 1991 Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive (UWWTD) as an opportunity to develop an ambitious, innovative, supportive and straight-forward new policy framework enabling operators to meet the Green Deal goals and make waste water collection, treatment and management fit for the decades to come.