Brussels, 28/03/2013 (Agence Europe) - A preliminary deal carved out between negotiators for the Irish Presidency of the EU Council and the European Parliament on a proposal for new chemical quality standards for European waters was rejected during the evening of Wednesday 27 March. It was deemed too ambitious by the Council, to the great disappointment of the European Environmental Bureau (EEB) which, on the contrary, considered it did not go far enough.
The compromise reached in trialogue not only postponed till end 2027 (instead of end 2021) the establishment and implementation of new chemical quality standards for European waters, but also authorised member states to use the derogation provided by the framework directive on water (Directive 2000/60/EC) to defer, possibly until 2039, meeting the objective of reaching a good chemical status for European waters.
“It seems that member states, without any qualms of conscience, finally pressed the button to once and for all flush the nasty chemicals down the drain, where they will continue killing our rivers, lakes and wetlands and endanger our health. It is a sad fact that this prime opportunity to tackle the pollution from a very small number of known toxic substances will not be grasped. Member states and the European Parliament have instead preferred to hide behind misplaced arguments about cost”, denounces Martina Mlinaric, the EEB senior policy officer on biodiversity, water and soil protection, in a press release published on Thursday 28 March.
In November 2012, MEPs had requested that three pharmaceutical substances (17-alphaethinylestradiol, 17-beta-estradiol and Diclofenac) be added to the European list of priority substances presenting risks for surface water - a requirement that the Council still finds unacceptable - and for a “watch list” to be drawn up of 25 other products likely to compromise the health of surface water (see EUROPE 10742).
During the trialogue, the delegation of European Parliament negotiators was headed by Richard Seeber (EPP, Austria), who is the rapporteur on the proposed review of the list of priority substances for water policy with a view to obtaining a good chemical quality of surface water (via amendments to the framework directive on water and Directive 2008/105/EC establishing quality environmental standards for water). The aim of the trialogue talks is to reach an agreement in first reading, in May this year, on updating the list of priority substances established in the framework directive on water. (AN/transl.jl)