The Commission is launching a call for contributions to a specific review of European water legislation

The aim is to promote the circular economy and access to critical raw materials in the EU, whilst protecting the environment and human health.

The European Commission has launched a four-week public consultation to gather information to inform a review and targeted amendment of the Water Framework Directive(WFD), the EU’s main piece of legislation for the protection and improvement of the status of European waters. 

As announcedin the RESourceEU Action Plan, the Commission is stepping up its efforts to secure the supply of critical raw materials to the EU in order to protect industry and supply chains from geopolitical and price disruptions.

Drawing on input from stakeholders with experience in implementing the Water Framework Directive, the Commission aims to address regulatory barriers and simplify legislation to promote circularity and access to essential raw materials, whilst maintaining high standards that protect human health and the environment.

The call for evidence is the first step in this process and will serve as a basis for preparing the review and any subsequent proposals. 

The specific review of the Water Framework Directive must ensure that it continues to contribute to water resilience, as outlinedin the Water Resilience Strategy, whilst supporting the EU’s strategic autonomy in critical raw materials.  

Stakeholders are encouraged to take part in the online consultation,which will remain open until 14 April.

These include businesses, particularly those in the critical raw materials value chain, civil society, water management companies, Member States and regional authorities, including those responsible for granting authorisations for projects related to critical raw materials and those responsible for ensuring compliance with the Water Framework Directive.  

In particular, relevant companies are invited to provide concrete evidence demonstrating that the provisions of the Water Framework Directive hinder the EU’s strategic autonomy regarding critical raw materials.

Information is also welcome on the environmental impact of projects related to critical raw materials and possible mitigation measures, including socially responsible sourcing practices and associated costs.

For further information, including details on how to participate in the call for evidence,please visitthe Commission’s‘Have your say’ portal.  

Background

TheWaterFramework Directiveis the cornerstone of EU water policy, and its effective implementation is a key aspectof the Water Resilience Strategy.

It requires Member States to ensure that all surface waters (lakes, rivers, transitional waters and coastal waters) and groundwater achieve a good level of quality by 2015.

This deadline may be extended to 2027 under certain conditions. It has been in force since 2000.The 2019 evaluation ofthe Water Framework Directiveconfirmed the clear added value of EU measures in the field of water policy.  

The RESourceEU plan aims to secure the supply of raw materials for key industrial sectors, ranging from the automotive industry to industrial engines, defence, aerospace, AI chips and data centres, whilst protecting the EU’s value chains from supply disruptions.

The recent exploitation of critical raw materials by dominant market players highlighted the need to step up existing efforts to improve security of supply.

The Action Plan builds on the Critical Raw Materials Regulation to reduce the EU’s dependencies more rapidly by proposing specific policy and financial instruments.

Further information: European Commission