The INSPIRE directive (annex III) specifically includes “utility facilities such as sewage … and water supply” in its scope.

While EurEau supports efforts to increase the access of environmentally relevant spatial data to the public, EU-legislation must ensure the protection of critical infrastructures / essential services to prevent malicious acts and protect people’s health and the environment.

As our daily lives and economies become increasingly dependent on digital technologies and internetbasedAs our daily lives and economies become increasingly dependent on digital technologies and internet-based services and products, we become more vulnerable and exposed to cyber-attacks. This impacts the water sector too. Maintaining a high level of cybersecurity across the European Union has become essential to keep the economy running and to ensure prosperity.

We support the EU’s Green Deal, including its climate ambitions and Strategies.

We call for full coherence between the RED, other energy legislation (EED), and sectoral legislation (Drinking Water Directive, Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive). We call for full coherence between the RED, other energy legislation (EED), and sectoral legislation (DW Directive, Urban WW Treatment Directive).

Meeting society’s demand for safe water services may involve energy-intensive processes making energy one of the sector’s highest operational cost factors. Optimising energy use has therefore been a top priority for many years. The sector will step up efforts further with the ambition to reduce its GHG emissions in line with EU objectives.

We support the EU’s Green Deal, including its climate targets and Strategies.

We call for full coherence between the EED, other energy legislation (RED), and sectoral legislation (Drinking Water Directive - DWD, Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive - UWWTD). We support the EU’s Green Deal, including its climate targets and Strategies. We call for full coherence between the EED, other energy legislation (RED), and sectoral legislation (DWD, UWWTD).

Meeting society’s demand for safe water services may involve energy-intensive processes making energy one of the sector’s highest operational cost factors. Optimising its use has therefore been a top priority for many years. Still, the energy efficiency potential is far from exhausted. The sector accepts the need to step up efforts further with the ambition to reduce its GHG emissions in line with EU objectives. However, if an energy-intensive treatment step is technically necessary (safety, regulatory compliance), it must prevail despite higher energy use.

The EU is well aware of the need to reduce the environmental footprint of medicines.

This challenge, plus many more will be addressed in the forthcoming EU Pharmaceutical Strategy, which should cover the whole life-cycle of pharmaceutical products from scientific discovery to authorisation and patient access.

A revised UWWTD will set the context for waste water services for the next generation. Therefore we highlight key points that the impact assessment (IA) must address in our feedback.

A recent analysis by the European Commission through the PESETA project refines the projected impacts of recent analysis by the European Commission through the PESETA project refines the projected impacts of climate change on the Union and beyond, as well as some of the benefits of adaptation measures. This analysis highlights the need for more ambitious action on adaptation. In order to support the development of the new EU Adaptation Strategy, the European Commission is seeking stakeholder views and feedback, in line with the Better Regulation Guidelines, including this open public consultation. Your responses to this questionnaire will be analysed and fed into the policy design process.

We welcome the EU Methane Strategy initiative, which intends to reduce the manmade methane emissions by putting in place an enabling environment to cut these emissions, which contribute to climate change.

The European Green Deal sets out how to make Europe the first climate-neutral continent by 2050, boosting the economy, improving people's health and quality of life, caring for nature, and leaving no one behind. Water needs to be an integral part of this. 

The new Circular Economy Action Plan (CEAP) published on 11 March 2020 offered a unique opportunity to unleash the water sector’s potential. While the European Commission presented a lot of good intentions and the will to “scale up the circular economy from front-runners to the mainstream economic players”, a number of question marks remain and the potential of the water sector is not sufficiently exploited. In this context, we wish to make the following comments.

EurEau favours a hazard-based approach for all chemicals (including EDCs) entering the water cycle, which takes into consideration the risk of adverse impacts to humans and the environment without taking exposure into account. We insist that the source control approach, the Precautionary and Polluter Pays Principles should be applied.

The European Critical Infrastructure Protection Directive (2008/114/EC) of 8 December 2008 establishes a procedure for identifying and designating European Critical Infrastructures (ECI) in the energy and transport sectors, as well as a common approach for assessing the need to improve their protection. It is a key pillar of the European Programme for Critical Infrastructure Protection (EPCIP), which aims to protect critical infrastructures against a range of threats using an all-hazards approach.
Critical infrastructure is defined as an asset, system or part thereof located in a Member State which is essential for the maintenance of vital societal functions, health, safety, security, economic and/or social well-being of people. The disruption or destruction of said infrastructure would have a significant impact in a Member State as a result of the failure to maintain the aforementioned vital societal functions.

The wide range of products on the EU single market. The wide range of products on the EU single market are subject to many different EU policies that vary in scope, type and approach. These policies include different forms of legislation, guidance and financial and/or market incentives. They have various policy aims such as ensuring the safety of people that use or consume the products, maintaining fair competition on the EU internal market, climate change mitigation, protecting the environment, providing consumer protection and promoting more sustainable products.

Pharmaceuticals can enter the water cycle in many ways. We must take steps now to minimise their release into the environment. A full life cycle of pharmaceuticals should be considered when designing remedial measures. End of pipe solutions are not sustainable.

Microplastics can enter the water cycle in many ways and are not entirely biodegradable. They can accumulate and could pose a threat to our water resources and ecosystems. Control at source is essential for microplastics to prevent them from entering the environment. We need extended producer responsibility. Additional treatment steps exist which will lead to increased tariffs for consumers.

UWWTD is a central pillar of the waste water services in Europe and has successfully created a level playing field for environmental standards and economic investment by setting baseline requirements for urban waste water treatment. We agree that time is now to evaluate the costs and benefits of UWWTD implementation.