What changed between the plenary report and the adopted text

Removed:DRAFT EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT LEGISLATIVE RESOLUTION

Added:P9_TA(2023)0302

Removed:on the Council position at first reading with a view to the adoption of a directive of the European Parliament and of the Council amending Directive 2000/60/EC establishing a framework for Community action in the field of water policy, Directive 2006/118/EC on the protection of groundwater against pollution and deterioration and Directive 2008/105/EC on environmental quality standards in the field of water policy

Added:Surface water and groundwater pollutants

Removed:(14144/1/2025 – C10-0065/2026 – 2022/0344(COD))

Added:Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety

Removed:(Ordinary legislative procedure: second reading)

Added:PE740.884

Change 1

Removed:The European Parliament,

Added:Amendments adopted by the European Parliament on 12 September 2023 on the proposal for a directive of the European Parliament and of the Council amending Directive 2000/60/EC establishing a framework for Community action in the field of water policy, Directive 2006/118/EC on the protection of groundwater against pollution and deterioration and Directive 2008/105/EC on environmental quality standards in the field of water policy (COM(2022)0540 – C9-0361/2022 – 2022/0344(COD))

Removed:– having regard to the Council position at first reading (14144/1/2025 – C10-0065/2026),

Added:(Ordinary legislative procedure: first reading)

Removed:– having regard to the opinion of the European Economic and Social Committee of 22 February 2023,

Added:Recital -1 (new): (-1) Water is not a commercial product like any other but, rather, a common good and a heritage, which needs to be protected, and treated as such, in order to ensure that ecosystems are preserved and that there is universal access to clean water.

Removed:– having regard to its position at first reading on the Commission proposal to Parliament and the Council (COM(2022)0540),

Added:Recital -1 a (new): (-1a) The United Nations General Assembly recognised, on 28 July 2010, the right to safe and clean drinking water and sanitation as a human right that is essential for the full enjoyment of life and all human rights. Following the success of the 2014 European Citizen’s Initiative entitled ‘Right2Water’ a proposal for the revision of the Directive on drinking water was adopted by the Commission in 2018 and the corresponding amended Directive entered into force on 12 January 2021. That Directive lays down an obligation for Member States to improve access to water intended for human consumption while relying, inter alia, on the knowledge gained and actions carried out under Directive 2000/60/EC. Member States should also ensure the effectiveness of the right to clean water and sanitation by improving the quality of both surface water and groundwater.

Removed:– having regard to Article 294(7) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union,

Added:Recital 1: (1) Chemical pollution of surface and groundwater poses a threat to the aquatic environment, with effects such as acute and chronic toxicity in aquatic organisms, accumulation of pollutants in the ecosystem and loss of habitats and biodiversity, as well as to human health. Setting environmental quality standards helps to implement the zero pollution ambition for a toxic-free environment, one of the priority goals of the 8th Environmental Action Programme1a. / 1a Decision (EU) 2022/591 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 6 April 2022 on a General Union Environment Action Programme to 2030

Removed:– having regard to the provisional agreement approved by the committee responsible under Rule 75(4) of its Rules of Procedure,

Added:Recital 1 a (new): (1a) According to the European Environment Agency, around 90 % of the area of groundwater bodies is reported to be in good quantitative status, around 75 % of the groundwater body area is in good chemical status, 40 % of surface water bodies are in good or high ecological status, and 38 % of surface water bodies are in good chemical status, while the European Environment Agency’s report of 4 December 2019 entitled ‘The European environment – state and outlook 2020: Knowledge for transition to a sustainable Europe’ found that reduced pollution has improved water quality, but that the Union was far from achieving good ecological status for all water bodies by 2020.

Removed:– having regard to Rule 68 of its Rules of Procedure,

Added:Recital 1 b (new): (1b) The 2019 Fitness Check of the Water Framework Directive (‘the Fitness Check’) concluded in its evaluation that the next round of programmes of measures will play a key role in ensuring the necessary progress towards achieving the environmental objectives of Directive 2000/60/EC by the 2027 deadline, and stated that currently more than half of all European water bodies are exempt under Directive 2000/60/EC, which makes the challenges for Member States to achieve the Environmental Quality Standards for priority substances within the given deadline, more than substantial. In addition, the Fitness Check concluded that the environmental objectives have not been reached fully largely due to insufficient funding, slow implementation and insufficient integration of environmental objectives in sectoral policies, and not due to a deficiency in the legislation.

Removed:– having regard to the recommendation for second reading of the Committee on the Environment, Climate and Food Safety (A10-0063/2026),

Added:Recital 1 c (new): (1c) Due to geographical and socioeconomic factors, some populations, including indigenous peoples, are more vulnerable to water pollution. The mining sector in the European Union is expected to grow to ensure the development of the net zero industry. As stated in Report 09/2021 from the European Environmental Agency1a, the mining sector directly impacts water quality and quantity. It is, therefore, necessary to better implement the existing legislative frameworks and to plan and control water use and discharge also in mining operations. / 1a Drivers of and pressures arising from selected key water management challenges : A European overview, report 09/2021, EEA

Removed:1. Approves the Council position at first reading;

Added:Recital 1 d (new): (1d) Many territories in the Union are subject to large and increasing water constraints. The significant and persistent droughts of recent years, especially in the Mediterranean regions, are putting agricultural production at risk and causing a serious decline in surface and groundwater reserves 1a . / 1a https://www.oecd.org/agriculture/topics/water-and-agriculture/

Removed:2. Notes that the act is adopted in accordance with the Council position;

Added:Recital 1 e (new): (1e) Water is a public good for the benefit of all which, as an essential natural resource that is irreplaceable and indispensable to life, needs to be carefully considered in the light of its social, economic and environmental dimensions. Climate change, including the increased frequency of natural disasters and extreme weather events, and the degradation of biodiversity, both negatively affect water quality and quantity, leading to pressure on sectors dependent on the availability of water, particularly agriculture.

Removed:3. Instructs its President to sign the act with the President of the Council, in accordance with Article 297(1) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union;

Added:Recital 1 f (new): (1f) While in its 2018 Report on “European waters - assessment of status and pressures”, the European Environment Agency (EEA) identified certain agricultural practices as obstacles to achieving good chemical status of groundwater in the Union, leading to nitrate and pesticide pollution, a steady decrease in use of mineral fertilisers and in nutrient surpluses has been observed in the Union over the last decades 1a. Other significant sources of pollution are discharges that are not connected to a sewerage system, contaminated sites or abandoned industrial sites. / 1a https://www.eea.europa.eu/publications/state-of-water

Removed:4. Instructs its Secretary-General to sign the act, once it has been verified that all the procedures have been duly completed, and, in agreement with the Secretary-General of the Council, to arrange for its publication in the Official Journal of the European Union;

Added:Recital 1 g (new): (1g) Good status of water bodies and efficient management of water resources represents a priority for agriculture, since farmers rely on water to conduct their activity, and as such, have a vested interest in the sustainable use of such resources.

Removed:5. Instructs its President to forward its position to the Council, the Commission and the national parliaments.

Added:Recital 1 h (new): (1h) In order to facilitate a transition to a more sustainable and productive agricultural sector that is resilient as regards water constraints, incentives should be put in place for farmers to improve water management and modernisation of irrigation systems and techniques.