The roadmap for improving integrated management of chemical pollutants in water in the EU was published on 23 October by the European Commission and is open for comment until 20 November.
The roadmap involves an initiative planned for adoption in 2022. Public consultation on a draft European directive is scheduled for the third quarter of 2021.
Tackling chemical pollution was one of the desirable improvements highlighted in the fitness check of water directives, published in December 2019 (see EUROPE 12389/14).
Within the wider context of chemicals policy, this initiative aims to strengthen existing EU legislation for the protection of the environment and human health from the adverse effects of water pollution.
It will meet some of the requirements of the recently adopted Strategy on Chemicals for Sustainability (see EUROPE 12582/21), including: - the Commission’s introduction or reinforcement of provisions to take account of the combination effects of chemical mixtures in other relevant legislation, such as legislation on water; - paying special attention to ensuring that PFAS is phased out in the EU, unless its use is proven to be essential for society.
The initiative will also address the legal obligation to regularly review the lists of priority substances and groundwater pollutants, and will take the latest scientific data into account.
The legislative option will be to update the lists of pollutants affecting surface and groundwaters, and the corresponding regulatory standards. In addition, possibilities to increase the coherence between the substance lists in water legislation and other environmental legislation and to improve data sharing with other policy sectors may be considered.
Non-legislative options could include measures such as updating and/or developing guidelines on monitoring or on thresholds.
An impact assessment will decide on the most appropriate action to take. (Original version in French by Aminata Niang)