Mandatory downstream river warnings after pollution incidents and stricter controls on treatment of urban wastewater, which affects the marine environment, are among measures proposed by the European Commission to ensure cleaner air and water.
The proposals, which will now be considered by the European Parliament and the Council, will take effect progressively, with different targets for 2030, 2040, and 2050, it says.
This will give industry and authorities time to adapt and invest where necessary, the Commission says.
The proposals are part of the European Green Deal's zero pollution ambition of having an “environment free of harmful pollution by 2050”.
“The quality of the air we breathe and the water we use is fundamental for our lives and the future of our societies,” Commissioner for the Environment, Oceans and Fisheries, Virginijus Sinkevičius, said.
“Polluted air and water harm our health and our economy and the environment, affecting the vulnerable most of all. It is, therefore, our duty to clean up air and water for our own and future generations,” he said.
“The cost of inaction is far greater than the cost of prevention. That is why the Commission is acting now to ensure coordinated action across the Union to better tackle pollution at source - locally and cross-border,” he said.
The revised Urban Wastewater Treatment Directive will “help Europeans benefit from cleaner rivers, lakes, groundwaters and seas, while making wastewater treatment more cost-effective,” the Commission says.
“To make the best possible use of wastewater as a resource, it is proposed to aim for energy-neutrality of the sector by 2040, and improve the quality of sludge to allow for more reuse contributing thus to a more circular economy,”it says.
Obligations to recover nutrients from wastewater, new standards for micropollutants and new monitoring requirements for microplastics are among the new measures.
As 92% toxic micro-pollutants found in EU wastewaters come from pharmaceuticals and cosmetics, a new Extended Producer Responsibility scheme will require producers to pay for the cost of removing them, the Commission says.
“This is in line with the ‘polluter pays' principle and it will also incentivise research and innovation into toxic-free products, as well as making financing of wastewater treatment fairer,”it says.
Building upon the Covid-19 experience, the Commission says it proposes to systematically monitor wastewater for several viruses, including CoV-SARS-19, and anti-microbial resistance.
EU countries will be required to ensure access to sanitation for all, in particular vulnerable and marginalised groups.
EU countries will be required to track industrial pollution at source to increase the possibilities of re-using sludge and treated wastewater, avoiding the loss of resources. Rules on recovering phosphorus from sludge will support their use to make fertiliser, benefiting food production.
The changes are estimated to increase costs by 3.8% (to €3.8 billion a year in 2040) for a benefit of over €6.6 billion a year, with a positive cost-benefit ratio in each Member State.
Based on up-to-date scientific evidence, the Commission is proposing to update lists of water pollutants, and 25 substances with well-documented problematic effects on nature and human health will be added to the lists.
These include:
- PFAS, a large group of “forever chemicals” used among others in cookware, clothing and furniture, fire-fighting foam and personal care products;
- a range of pesticides and pesticide degradation products, such as glyphosate;
- Bisphenol A, a plasticiser and a component of plastic packaging;
- some pharmaceuticals used as painkillers and anti-inflammatory drugs, as well as antibiotics.
The substances and their standards have been selected in a transparent and science-driven process.
Drawing on the lessons from incidents such as the mass death of fish in the Oder river, the Commission proposes mandatory downstream river basin warnings after incidents.
Standards for 16 pollutants already covered by the rules, including heavy metals and industrial chemicals, will be updated (mostly tightened) and four pollutants that are no longer an EU-wide threat will be removed, it says.
