Last week, the European Parliament adopted its resolution on the implementation of the revised Urban Wastewater Treatment Directive (UWWTD) and the potential impacts on the security of supply of medicines.
This resolution sends the wrong signal at the wrong time.
On the one hand, Parliament strongly reaffirms the environmental objectives of the revised UWWTD, recognising the need to reduce micropollutant pollution, deploy quaternary treatment, protect water resources, safeguard public health and uphold the polluter-pays principle.
On the other hand, Parliament calls for a temporary “stop-the-clock” on the Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) provisions, quaternary treatment obligations and related financial obligations until the European Commission completes a new impact assessment on costs, responsibility attribution and potential impacts on the availability, affordability and accessibility of medicines.
The time for debate is over. The time for implementation is now.
Delaying action will not make the problem of persistent micropollutants disappear. It will only make it more expensive. Delaying implementation will not remove these costs. It will simply shift them onto citizens, water users, farmers, food producers and public authorities.
For economic actors, this also sends the wrong signal. It suggests that investment in innovation, eco-design and cleaner products may not be rewarded. By weakening incentives to develop less polluting products and more sustainable production processes, Europe risks slowing down the transition towards cleaner value chains and a more competitive circular economy.
Perhaps most importantly, delaying implementation creates uncertainty for water operators and investors who are preparing the infrastructure needed to deliver Europe’s water resilience, zero-pollution and public health objectives. Regulatory predictability is essential for mobilising the investments that Europe urgently needs.
We therefore call on the European Commission, and the Member States to remain focused on the implementation of the revised UWWTD and to resist attempts to delay its application.
Europe does not need another pause. It needs regulatory certainty, accelerated innovation, increased investment and rapid implementation of solutions that protect our water resources, public health and economic resilience. For more info, please click here.
