Our Publications

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 this approach and avoid any revisions that would jeopardise a timely, equitable, and effective implementation of the recast Directive.

Healthy waters are not only a vital natural resource for human well-being and the environment but also a key driver
of 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 water
resources while fostering innovation, investment, and economic prosperity.

A group of companies and organisations urge the Commission to develop an ambitious proposal for a targeted
revision 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 environment.

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 can be recovered and reused, making a significant contribution to the circular economy. 

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.