The environment ministers of the EU Member States will debate, on Thursday 16 March, the proposed modernisation of the Urban Wastewater Treatment Directive 91/271/EEC and will be asked to decide on the level of ambition of this future legislation of the Zero-Pollution Package and on the appropriateness of including an Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) system, as also foreseen in the proposal for energy saving purposes (see EUROPE 13051/2).
These questions, prepared by the Swedish Presidency, were approved on 3 March by the EU27 Ambassadors to the EU (Coreper) in view of the upcoming ‘Environment’ Council.
The October 2022 proposal has been discussed (articles 1-21, except articles 12 and 19) in the EU Council Working Party on the Environment, but the dossier will be taken to ministerial level to provide guidance for future work, the Swedish Presidency said in a note that indicated general support, but also difficulties.
It recalls that “urban waste water is one of the main contributors to water pollution in the European Union” and thus identifies the challenges raised by the delegations at this stage:
Overall level of ambition to tackle residual pollution. Member States find it difficult to meet the proposed deadlines and requirements because of the time needed to plan infrastructure investments. There is also a desire for flexibility to adapt to national and local conditions, including aligning timetables with the planning cycles of other water directives. Some Member States are also concerned that the additional environmental benefits of more stringent tertiary and quaternary treatment obligations may not always outweigh the cost of treatment.
Funding for the treatment of micropollutants. Member States are seeking clarification on how an EPR system could work in practice, as this type of instrument is new for the urban waste water sector. There are different views on whether this is the most appropriate funding strategy and whether it is best implemented at EU or national level.
Energy neutrality. The proposal sets an energy neutrality target to be achieved in each Member State by 2040, with interim targets. It also requires Member States to ensure that the total annual renewable energy production of these installations is equivalent to their total energy consumption and that energy audits are progressively required for all medium to large installations.
The benefits of energy audits are well understood, but the timetables will be difficult to meet. In addition, some countries feel that the targets may be difficult to combine with the new requirements for nitrogen removal and quaternary treatment, due to the energy consumption of these treatments.
The Swedish Presidency note: https://aeur.eu/f/5nx (Original version in French by Aminata Niang)