EU-Policy

Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive (UWWTD)

The EU’s Urban Wastewater Treatment Directive currently in force is more than 30 years old. Since its adoption in 1991, the quality of European rivers, lakes and seas has dramatically improved. EU countries have set up collecting systems and wastewater treatment plants with the help of EU funding. Yet there is still pollution that needs to be addressed and is not covered by the current rules. To address this, the Commission has proposed an update to the Directive.

The Directive aims to protect human health and the environment from the effects of untreated urban wastewater. It therefore requires EU countries to ensure that towns, cities and settlements properly collect and treat wastewater.

You can read here EWA Position Paper on the UWWTD (2022)

Water Framework Directive (WFD)

The Water Framework Directive was adopted on On 23 October 2000. The environmental objectives are the core of the Directive and the definition of “good ecological status” is essential. The intecalibration process is comparing the national classifications and Decision 2005/646/EC sets out a network of intercalibration sites.

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EWA Position on the Water Framework Directive 2019

EWA's reaction to the European Commission's Fitness Check on WFD March 2019

Common Implementation Strategy (CIS)

The implementation of the Water Framework Directive raises a number of shared technical challenges for the Member States, the Commission, the Candidate and EEA Countries as well as stakeholders and NGOs.