Nutrients are chemical compounds that are essential for life. The most common nutrients include nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P). Nutrients are found in soil, air and water, in agricultural fertilisers, in the food we consume and throw away as well as the sewage we produce. Human activities have significantly altered the natural processes which continuously cycle nitrogen and phosphorous in various (chemical) forms between different compartments of the environment. We consequently observe nutrient pollution that significantly affects public health, climate and the environment and at levels that exceed safe planetary boundaries. Nutrient pollution also has important economic consequences and puts at risk the sustainability of agriculture and fisheries in the EU.

The Environmental Liability Directive (ELD) established a framework of environmental liability based on the ‘polluter pays’ principle, to prevent and remedy damage to land, water (surface, ground, transitional, coastal and marine waters), and biodiversity (species and natural habitats protected by the Birds and Habitats Directives).

Making operators financially liable for preventing and remedying environmental damage is intended to induce them to develop practices that minimise the risk that their activities will cause such damage.

In 2016, the European Commission published the first evaluation of the ELD. The Commission is now carrying out the second such evaluation. The evaluation will examine the effectiveness, efficiency, relevance, coherence and EU added-value of the ELD.

In the context of the ‘‘European Green Deal”, the European Commission adopted a comprehensive Farm to Fork Strategy[1], which recognises the inextricable links between healthy people, healthy societies and a healthy planet and aims to address comprehensively the challenges of sustainable food systems. 

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. 

A robust EU Strategy can put in place legislation that will protect our water resources 

In line with article 191.2 of the TFEU, any sustainable chemicals strategy must start from control-at-source measures and apply the Precautionary Principle.

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.

This consultation aims to collect views and suggestions from stakeholders and citizens related to a possible proposal for a revision of the Gas Directive (2009/73/EC) and Gas Regulation ((EC) No 715/2009). This review is planned for Q4 2021.

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.

New objectives to be delivered must consider the affordability of water services. This includes the long life-cycle of waste water collection and treatment assets and their inherent inflexibility for adaptation or upgrading.

The aim of this paper is to set our general expectations and point at areas to be covered by the impact assessment. Detailed positions or notes on specific topics will be delivered in due course.

The Farm2Fork (F2F) Strategy announced the evaluation of Directive 2009/128/EC establishing a framework for Community action to achieve the Sustainable Use of Pesticides - SUD.

The principles enshrined in article 191.2 of the TFEU, namely the precautionary principle, the principles that preventive actions should be taken and that the environmental damage should, as a priority, be rectified at the source, as well as the polluter-pays principle, must guide not only the EU environmental policy but all the Strategies of the Green Deal.