Belgium, (Brussels Morning Newspaper) The increasing chemization of the natural environment represents one of the most challenging consequences of the life of modern societies related mainly to industrial and agricultural production. Unfortunately, our rivers, lakes, and groundwaters have become a dumping ground for chemical substances that threaten not only our natural ecosystems but also our health and even our lives.
In the European Union, only 40 % of rivers and lakes have an estimated good chemical status, while 30 % of groundwater, which is a major source of drinking water, is polluted. Water pollution, in addition to the increase of severe and prolonged droughts affecting the European continent, does indeed aggravate the water scarcity crisis in the EU.
The Union’s common water management policy has shown good results in the last 30 years, taking into account the fact that during this time the quality of European rivers, lakes, and seas has considerably improved. However, increased pressure on our water resources, be it from industry or due to climate change, simply demands further action.
For the European Parliament, curbing water pollution is, therefore, a matter of urgency. As Rapporteur for the revision of the EU water directives (the Water Framework Directive and its two ‘daughter directives’), I am glad we have managed, during the September plenary session, to reach a broad parliamentary cross-party agreement on the proposal for revision of the respective directives.
The core of the revision of this EU water legislation is updating the list of pollutants, posing a risk to the aquatic environment and human health, and setting their allowed EU-wide concentrations, while mandating the Member States to monitor their presence and take measures to ensure the legal thresholds are not exceeded.
Even though the list of pollutants has to be updated every six years, the last update was made ten years ago. This means that it no longer reflects the real state of pollution in European waters, where critical pollutants are found, including toxic per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS, the so-called ‘forever chemicals’), pharmaceuticals, micro-plastics and a wider range of pesticides, among which also glyphosate.
While the European Parliament reacted swiftly, I regret to see a considerable lack of progress on the Council’s side. With that in mind, I addressed a letter to the Head of the Spanish Presidency of the EU Council and the Spanish Prime Minister, Pedro Sánchez. Together with colleagues shadow rapporteurs from the EPP, Renew, Greens, and Left as co-signatories, we are calling on the Spanish Presidency to make significant progress in the deliberations regarding the revision of the water legislation in order to be able to reach an agreement between the Parliament and the Council still before the conclusion of the current parliamentary term.
I am confident that water protection should be our common project standing high on the EU political agenda. Protecting water means protecting natural habitats, it means protecting human health and is indispensable for ensuring food security in Europe. The delay in tackling water pollution would mean we go contrary to the expectations of our citizens, while possibly undermining the delivery of the Union’s zero pollution ambition.
