The EU Council Presidency will hold a videoconference for members of the Working Party on the Environment (WPE) on 22 November 2023, ahead of which it will circulate a steering note with compromise text proposals for Directive 2008/105/EC on environmental quality standards in water policy. The document, dated 13 July 2026 and marked LIMITE, informs member states to prepare for the meeting and review the forthcoming proposals.
The meeting follows a previous VTC of WPE members on 25 October 2023, where the Commission presented updates on priority substances in water. The upcoming session aims to advance discussions on revising the directive, which sets environmental quality standards for surface waters and groundwater. The Presidency's compromise text, to be distributed as an annex to the steering note (reference WK 13864/2023 INIT), will propose amendments to the existing framework.
Member states are expected to examine the compromise proposals and provide feedback during the 22 November VTC. The process is part of the ongoing revision of EU water legislation, which seeks to address emerging pollutants and align standards with the European Green Deal's zero-pollution ambition. No prior coverage of this specific file exists in the last 180 days.