Changes from report parliamentary committee draft to plenary report

The rapporteur generally welcomes the European Commission’s Proposal for a Directive concerning urban wastewater treatment (recast). The existing Directive 91/271/EEC on urban wastewater treatment (UWWTD) has succeeded in reducing environmental pollution from wastewater and in enhancing the ecological and chemical status of the European water bodies as stated in the Commission’s evaluation of the 1991 Directive. It has been successful in decreasing nitrogen and phosphorus emissions in most EU-27 countries. The current Directive is now 30 years old, and needs to be revised in order to deal with new challenges. The Commission proposal suggests stronger rules and more ambitious targets on additional micro-pollutants in order to progress towards the European Green Deal’s zero pollution ambition of having an environment free of harmful pollution by 2050.

Small agglomerations

Small agglomerations are covered by the current Directive only in a very general manner and yet constitute a significant pressure on EU’s surface water bodies. While some Member States have established in their legislation that all urban wastewater needs to be treated, some other Member States have set standards for smaller agglomerations going beyond the requirements set out in the current Directive. The rapporteur therefore considers the most ambitious approach assessed by the Commission in the impact assessment, namely 500p.e., appropriate for the next period.

Tertiary treatment

The rapporteur considers that removal of nutrients from the wastewater (Art 7) could be more ambitious given that phosphorus removal with iron salts/chemical solutions is relatively cheap and easily scalable. For nitrogen, removals are more difficult due to bacterial processes, requiring more space and warmer temperatures, therefore making it more difficult in an area where the water temperature is on average below 12 degrees. The rapporteur considers therefore necessary that Member States may offer a derogation to the treatment plants for not meeting the set out nitrogen reduction targets for the days when the temperatures are below 12 degrees.

Implementation of the Extended Producer Responsibility

Micro-pollutants are increasingly a concern and the rapporteur therefore in general welcomes the proposal for the introduction of the polluter pays principle for the water sector. The proposal from the Commission includes an extended producer responsibility for pharmaceutical and cosmetic products put on the market (Art 9 and 10). According to the Commission, 92% of micro pollutants found in receiving waters come from pharmaceuticals and cosmetics. Micro-pollutants are a serious concern and especially pharmaceuticals - the ones people ingest - are of concern. The rapporteur however has concerns about the proposed measures for the EPR scheme. Pharmaceuticals and PCPs have a societal added value. Society as a whole has a responsibility for the consumption and/or usage of these products and should therefore contribute toward cleaning it up. Member States should therefore ensure that national financing programmes are set up for the upgrade to quaternary treatment in addition to the EPR scheme.

Energy neutrality of UWWTPs

The rapporteur welcomes the principle of energy neutrality of UWWTPs (Art 11) while the article needs clarifications regarding by what means energy neutrality can be reached. It is important to incentivise the energy production potential of treatment plants while allowing different options to reach the target (on or off-site generation or bought from external sources).

Water reuse and dischargers of urban wastewater

The rapporteur believes that the promotion of water reuse of treated wastewater (Art 15) should be recognised for its great potential in particular for industrial purposes, such as heating and cooling and hydrogen production.

Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS)

The proposed Directive and the list of products to be covered by the EPR does not cover chemicals containing PFAS despite their damaging nature to environment and human health. The rapporteur therefore calls on the Commission to assess the possible need to extend the scope of the EPR to products containing Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) taking into account any future restrictions.

The rapporteur is still considering some additional clarifications on questions such as micro-plastics at a later stage.