The European Commission has recently launched the debate on the fitness check of the backbone of its legislation on water protection and management. Therefore, the Water Framework Directive as well as the closely related Groundwater Directive, the Environmental Quality Standards Directive as well as the Flood Directive are currently under review.
The main purpose of the review is to ensure the protection and sustainable management of the water in the EU via an integrated approach. Notwithstanding that the consultations are still ongoing, from the
analysis so far of stakeholders’ input, it clearly emerges that under the agricultural, chemical and pharmaceutical sectors are already under the Commission’s cross-chair. Certain incidents and practices of the above sectors in the EU have triggered controversy and had initiated the relevant
debate in 2016.
With the debate ongoing until March 2019 and the EU trying to strike an acceptable balance between the need for sustainable water management and the viability of its industry, all parties are expected to try to secure a favorable outcome in the consultations.