What changed between the adopted text of 24 Apr 2024 and the adopted text of 26 Mar 2026

Removed:(19) Annex VIII is amended in accordance with Annex II to this Directive;

Removed:(20) Annex X isAnnexes IX and X are deleted. [Am. 78]

Removed:Article 2 Amendments to Directive 2006/118/EC

Removed:Directive 2006/118/EC is amended as follows:

Removed:(1) the title is replaced by the following:

Removed:‘Directive 2006/118/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 12 December 2006 on the prevention and control of groundwater pollution;’

Removed:(2) in Article 1, paragraph 1 is replaced by the following:

Removed:‘1. This Directive establishes specific measures to prevent and control groundwater pollution with the aim of achieving the environmental objectives set out in Article 4(1), point (b), of Directive 2000/60/EC. The hierarchy of measures to be taken shall prioritise restrictions and other control-at-source measures, without prejudice to the importance of end-of-pipe measures, where appropriate. Those measures include the following: [Am. 79]

Removed:(a) criteria for the assessment of good groundwater chemical status;

Removed:(b) criteria for the identification and reversal of significant and sustained upward trends and for the definition of starting points for trend reversals.;

Removed:(ba) criteria for assessing the good ecological status of groundwater.’ [Am. 80]

Removed:(3) in Article 2, point (2) is replaced by the following:

Removed:‘(2) ‘threshold value’ means a groundwater quality standard established by Member States in accordance with Article 3(1), point (b), or at Union level in accordance with Article 8(3);;’

Removed:(4) Article 3 is amended as follows:

Removed:(a) in paragraph 1, first subparagraph, the following point (c) is added:

Removed:‘(c) threshold values established at Union level in accordance with Article 8(3) and listed in Part D of Annex II to this Directive.;’

Removed:(aa) in paragraph 1, the following subparagraph is inserted:

Removed:‘The threshold values applicable to groundwater shall be 10-times lower than the corresponding EQS for surface water, except in cases, where the actual risk posed to the groundwater ecosystems can be established, it may be appropriate to set threshold values for groundwater at a different level.’ [Am. 81]

Removed:(b) paragraph 2 is replaced by the following:

Removed:‘2. Threshold values referred to in paragraph 1, point (b), may be established at the national level, at the level of the river basin district or the part of the international river basin district falling within the territory of a Member State, or at the level of a body or a group of bodies of groundwater.;’

Removed:(c) paragraph 5 is replaced by the following:

Removed:‘5. All threshold values referred to in paragraph 1 shall be published in the river basin management plans to be produced under Article 13 of Directive 2000/60/EC, together with a summary of the information set out in Part C of Annex II to this Directive.

Removed:Member States shall, by [OP please insert the date = the first day of the month following 18 months after the date of entry into force of this Directive], inform the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) of the national threshold values referred to in paragraph 1, point (b). ECHA shall make that information publicly available.’;

Removed:(ca) in paragraph 5, the following subparagraph is inserted:

Removed:‘Member States shall ensure that the residents of the concerned river basin district or of the part of the international river basin district falling within the territory of a Member State are adequately and timely informed.’ [Am. 82]

Removed:(d) in paragraph 6, the first subparagraph is replaced by the following:

Removed:‘Member States shall amend the list of threshold values applied in their territories whenever new information on pollutants, groups of pollutants, or indicators of pollution, also taking into account the precautionary principle, indicates that a threshold value needs to be set for an additional substance, that an existing threshold value needs to be modified, or that a threshold value previously removed from the list needs to be re-inserted. If relevant threshold values are established or amended at Union level, Member States shall adapt the list of threshold values applied in their territories to those values. ;’ [Am. 83]

Removed:(e) paragraph 7 is replaced by the following:

Removed:‘7. The Commission shall publish a report on the national threshold values referred to in paragraph 1, point (b), one year after the Member States provide that information to ECHA in accordance with paragraph 5.’ [Am. 84]

Removed:(5) in Article 4(2), point (b) is replaced by the following:

Removed:‘(b) the values for the groundwater quality standards listed in Annex I and the threshold values referred to in Article 3(1), points (b) and (c), are not exceeded at any monitoring point in that body or group of bodies of groundwater; or;’

Removed:(6) the following Article 6a is inserted:

Removed:‘Article 6a

Removed:Watch list

Removed:1. The Commission is empowered to adopt implementing acts to establish, having regard to scientific reports prepared by ECHA, a watch list of substances for which Union-wide monitoring data are to be gathered by the Member States and to lay down the formats to be used by the Member States for reporting the results of that monitoring and related information to the Commission. Those implementing acts shall be adopted in accordance with the examination procedure referred to in Article 9(2).

Removed:The watch list shall contain a maximumminimum of five substances or groups of substances and shall indicate the monitoring matrices and the possible methods of analysis for each substance. Those monitoring matrices and methods shall not entail excessive costs for the competent authorities. The substances to be included in the watch list shall beof emerging concern selected from amongst those substances for which the information available, also in accordance with sub-paragraph four below, indicates that they may pose a significant risk at Union level to, or via, the aquatic environment, and for which the monitoring data are insufficient. This, except where the number of substances or groups of substances for which the information available indicates that they may pose a significant risk to, or via, the aquatic environment to be selected from is less than five, in which case the watch list shall includecontain all of those substances of emerging concern.

Removed:In addition to the minimum number of substances or group of substances, the watch list may also contain indicators of pollution.

Removed:The watch list shall specify the monitoring matrices and the possible methods of analysis for each substance. Those monitoring matrices and methods shall not entail excessive costs for the competent authorities. [Am. 85]

Removed:As soon as Suitable monitoring methods for micro-plastics and selected antimicrobial resistance genes have beenshall be identified,those substances as soon as possible and no later than [the first day of the month following 18 months after the date of entry into force of this amending Directive]. As soon as those monitoring methods are identified, micro-plastics and selected antimicrobial resistance genes shall be included in the watch list in accordance with Article 6a(2)(1). The Commission shall also consider whether including sulfates in the first watch list is necessary to improve availability of data on their presence with regard to the scope of this directive. [Am. 86]

Removed:ECHA shall prepare scientific reports to assist the Commission in selecting the substances and indicators of pollution for the watch list, taking into account the following information: [Am. 87]

Removed:(a) Annex I to Directive 2008/105/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council* and the results of the most recent review of that Annex ;

Removed:(b) the watch lists established in accordance with Directive 2008/105/EC and Directive (EU) 2020/2184 of the European Parliament and of the Council**;

Removed:(c) requirements to address soil pollution, including related monitoring data;

Removed:(d) Member States’ characterisation of river basin districts in accordance with Article 5 of Directive 2000/60/EC and the results of monitoring programmes established in accordance with Article 8 of that Directive;

Removed:(e) information on production volumes, use patterns, intrinsic properties (including mobility in soils and, where relevant, particle size), concentrations in the environment and adverse effects to human health and the aquatic environment of a particular substance or group of substances, including information gathered in accordance with Regulation (EC) No 1907/2006 of the European Parliament and of the Council***, Regulation (EC) No 1107/2009 of the European Parliament and of the Council****, Regulation (EU) No 528/2012 of the European Parliament and of the Council*****, Regulation (EU) 2019/6 of the European Parliament and of the Council******, Directive 2001/83/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council******* and Directive 2009/128/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council********;

Removed:(f) research projects and scientific publications and evidence, including information on the impact of material and thermal contaminants as well as impacts of aboveground and underground extractive and infrastructure activities on groundwater ecosystems and groundwater-dependent ecosystems and their biodiversity, information on trends and predictionsforecasts based on modelling or other predictive assessments and data and, as well as information fromand data collected by remote sensing technologies, Earth observation (Copernicus services), in-situin situ sensors and devices, or citizen science data, leveragingtaking advantage of the opportunities offeredopened by artificial intelligence, and advanced data analysis and processing; [Am. 88]

Removed:(g) recommendations from stakeholders.

Removed:ECHA shall every three years prepare a report summarizing the findings of the scientific reports established under the fourth subparagraph and shall make that report publicly available. The first report shall be made available by X [OP please insert the date = the first day of the twenty first month after the date of entry into force of this Directive].

Removed:2. A first watch list shall be established by .. [OP please insert the date = the first day of the month following 24 months after the date of entry into force of this Directive]. The watch list shall be updated at the latest every 36 months thereafter or more frequently if new scientific evidence emerges that would necessitate the list being updated in the interim period between individual reviews. [Am. 89]

Removed:Member States shall evaluate every two years the impact on water quality of industrial activities related to the energy transition and inform the Commission of newly identified threats so that it can update the watch list accordingly. The evaluation shall be easily accessible to the public. [Am. 90]

Removed:When updating the watch list, the Commission shall remove any substance or group of substances from the existing watch list, for which it considers it possible to assess its risk for the aquatic environment without additional monitoring data. When the watch list is updated, an individual substance or group of substances may be kept on the watch list for another period of three years where additional monitoring data are needed to assess the risk to the aquatic environment. The updated watch list shall also include one or more additional substances for which the Commission considers, having regard to the scientific reports of ECHA, that there could be a risk to the aquatic environment.

Removed:3. Member States shall monitor each substance or group of substances in the watch list at selected representative monitoring stations over a 24-month period. The monitoring period shall commence within six months of the establishment of the watch list.

Removed:Each Member State shall select at least onetwo monitoring stationstations, plus the number of stations equal to its total area in km2 of groundwater bodies divided by 60 00030 000 (rounded to the nearest integer). [Am. 91]

Removed:In selecting the representative monitoring stations, the monitoring frequency and the seasonal timing for each substance or group of substances, Member States shall take into account the use patterns and possible occurrence of the substance or group of substances. The frequency of monitoring shall be no less than once per year.

Removed:Where a Member State is in a position to generate sufficient, comparable, representative and recent monitoring data for a particular substance or group of substances from existing monitoring programmes or studies, it may decide not to undertake additional monitoring under the watch list mechanism for that substance or group of substances, provided that the substance or group of substances was monitored using a methodology that is compliant with the monitoring matrices and the methods of analysis referred to in the implementing act establishing the watch list.

Removed:4. Member States shall make available the results of the monitoring referred to in paragraph 3 of this Article in accordance with Article 8(4) of Directive 2000/60/EC and with the implementing act establishing the watch list as adopted pursuant to paragraph 1. They shall also make available information on the representativeness of the monitoring stations and on the monitoring strategy.

Removed:5. ECHA shall review the monitoring results at the end of the 24-month period referred to in paragraph 3 and assess which substances or groups of substances need to be monitored for another 24-month period and therefore are to be kept in the watch list and which substances or groups of substances can be removed from the watch list.

Removed:Where the Commission, having regard to the assessment by ECHA referred to in the first subparagraph, concludes that no further monitoring is required to further assess the risk to the aquatic environment, that assessment shall be taken into account in the review of Annex I or II referred to in Article 8.

Removed:* Directive 2008/105/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council on the prevention and control of surface water pollution, amending and subsequently repealing Council Directives 82/176/EEC, 83/513/EEC, 84/156/EEC, 84/491/EEC, 86/280/EEC and amending Directive 2000/60/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council (OJ L 348, 24.12.2008, p. 84).

Removed:** Directive (EU) 2020/2184 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 16 December 2020 on the quality of water intended for human consumption (OJ L 435, 23.12.2020, p. 1).