The European Parliament’s ENVI Committee held an exchange of views with the European Commission on the water legislation fitness check. MEPs emphasised the slow, and sometimes complete lack of, implementation and many spoke against a revision of the Water Framework Directive, fearing a weakening of the legislation.

The ENVI Committee decided to write an oral question and a resolution on the topic in the coming months to complement the views of the Environment Council (meeting on the 5 March) and the Committee of the Regions that is also drafting an opinion on the issue.

On 20 February 2020, Piotr Całbecki, rapporteur on the file for the Committee of the Regions ENVE Committee, held a stakeholder consultation in the CoR. The European Commission presented the report conclusion and Prof Maciej Zalewski expressed the necessary interaction between water quality in rivers and good management of soils. The rapporteur stressed the innovative approach of water management brought by the Water Framework Directive and the need to better integrate it into other legislation. Stakeholders shared their views on the fitness check and also on the future of the WFD.