Members of the European Parliament’s Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety (ENVI) have voiced their support for revising the Urban Wastewater Treatment Directive (91/271/EEC) to reduce the growing pollution caused by rainwater and nutrients and, at the same time, try to make the wastewater treatment plant sector less energy-intensive.
The draft report by Nils Torvalds (Renew Europe, Finnish) was adopted (60 votes in favour, 10 against and 6 abstentions) (see EUROPE 13252/13). In doing so, the MEPs voted on a proposal made in October 2022 by the European Commission for cleaner water by 2030 as part of a ‘zero pollution’ by 2050 legislative package.
MEPs want Member States to step up monitoring of toxic pollutants entering and leaving urban wastewater treatment plants, including microplastics and PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkylated substances).
The report also advocates monitoring for the presence of public health parameters in wastewater (such as the SARS-CoV-2 virus and its variants, influenza viruses, E-Coli, legionella, antimicrobial resistance and any other pathogens that may emerge in the event of a public health emergency).
MEPs support the introduction of an extended producer responsibility (EPR) system for medicines for human use and cosmetic products, which have been identified as the main sources of micropollutants in urban wastewater and which require additional treatment.
To ensure that producers are not the only ones to pay the cost of treating pollution, these EPR systems could be supplemented by funding from Member States, at national level, of up to 20% for upgrading urban wastewater treatment plants to avoid unforeseen consequences on the availability, price and accessibility of vital products, particularly medicines.
To promote energy neutrality in the sector, they propose the gradual elimination of greenhouse gas emissions by gradually increasing the proportion of renewable energy used each year by wastewater treatment plants (55% by the end of 2033, 75% by the end of 2036 and 100% by the end of 2040).
MEPs are also calling for a guarantee that all agglomerations with more than 750 inhabitants will be connected to domestic wastewater collection systems by the end of 2032.
“This is a major step towards cleaner water in Europe! With climate change, we are facing major challenges around water and we need to ensure that we manage our water resources well. With eutrophication, micropollution and droughts, every drop counts”, commented the rapporteur.
The European Parliament is due to vote on its negotiating position at its plenary session from 2 to 5 October. The EU Council has not yet given its opinion at first reading. (Original version in French by Aminata Niang)