Changes from resolution motion joint to adopted text

Change 6

Added7. Calls on the Commission to make progress on the adoption of implementing acts on the scope of obligations relating to quaternary treatment, to give clarity to the Member States, wastewater operators and relevant stakeholders with regard to the associated costs;

8. Stresses that the costs associated with advanced wastewater treatment should not be shifted onto taxpayers and water consumers, but should be borne in a fair and proportionate manner by those sectors contributing to water pollution;

Change 7

Removed8. Recalls the gradual implementation timeline for the EPR and quaternary treatment obligations, with certain provisions not fully applying until 2045, which provides sufficient time for the gradual and balanced implementation of the directive and the quaternary treatment obligations, namely 20 % coverage by 2033, 60 % by 2039 and full coverage by 2045; recalls that the technical aspects of the EPR provisions and national EPR organisations can be adjusted at both EU and national level to ensure fairness and effectiveness; calls for both the Commission and the Member States to make full use of the directive’s existing provisions to ensure that evidence and appropriate and reliable data are fully taken into consideration in the implementation of the directive;

Added9. Calls for a temporary suspension (‘stop the clock’) of the EPR provisions and of the quaternary treatment obligations and related financial obligations until the completion of the study and the assessment of its findings by the Commission;

10. Underlines that the EPR obligation applies uniformly to all companies placing products on the EU market, whether produced in or outside the EU, aiming to ensure a level playing field and preventing unfair competitive advantages; calls on the Commission to clarify how non-EU producers will comply with EPR obligations, in order to avoid competitive distortions and to ensure a level playing field;

Change 8

Changed10.11. Stresses that medicine shortages are already a major and growing challenge in the EU; highlights the need to safeguard EU pharmaceutical research, development and manufacturing capacity and supply chain resilience;

12. Acknowledges the particular case of generic medicines and access to treatments in general and calls on the Commission and the Member States to carefully and continually monitor the impact of the directive on the affordability, availability and accessibility of those medicines, as is required under the revised UWWTD, with the objective of avoiding unintended disruption or price increases;

13. Recalls that the directive provides for flexibility and the possibility of applying proportionate measures with the aim of ensuring that the EPR obligations do not compromise the affordability, availability or accessibility of medicines; calls on the Member States, when designing and implementing national EPR schemes, to carefully assess and address duly justified and evidence-backed concerns related to unintended consequences of the directive, with particular attention to generic medicines; recalls the obligation of the Commission to monitor and report on impacts on medicine affordability, availability and accessibility and to ensure a comprehensive evaluation by the end of 2033 and again by the end of 2040;

Change 9

Changed13. Recalls that EPR represents the most effective and fair financing model for quaternary treatment, ensuring stable investment, while avoiding additional pressure on public budgets and water tariffs, and providing an incentive for the development of products that biodegrade rapidly or that do not generate micropollutants in wastewater at the end of their life cycle; notes,14. however,Notes the challenges of availing of the incentive, owing to the complexities of modifications to medicinal formulations, which may require extensive research or new marketing authorisations, in particular for generic medicines;

▸4 unchanged paragraphs

15. Recalls, in this regard, that the Commission is required to regularly evaluate whether other products and sectors that have a significant impact on the toxic load in wastewater should be brought into the EPR system, so as to ensure that the associated costs are fairly attributed and not left to fall on citizens and water consumers;

16. Supports research and innovation in environmentally sustainable pharmaceuticals and in advanced wastewater treatment technologies;

17. Recalls that, in line with the One Health approach, the protection of human, animal and environmental health are intrinsically interlinked and intwined; underlines that access to medicines and environmental protection must be pursued simultaneously, without allowing one to be used as a pretext for lowering ambition in the other;

18. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission and the governments and parliaments of the Member States.