The General Secretariat of the Council has requested delegations to submit written comments on a compromise text for Articles 1, 4, and 5 of the proposed directive on priority substances in water, along with related annexes, delegated powers, and non-papers on deterioration and reporting progress (WK 2991/2024). The deadline for submissions is Friday, 8 March 2024, with comments to be sent to the Presidency and the Commission, copied to the Council's Secretariat.
The request, issued on 13 July 2026, follows a Working Party on the Environment (WPE) meeting held on 27 February 2024. The next WPE meeting on priority substances is scheduled for 26 March 2024, where the Presidency plans to discuss Articles 2 and 3 and related annexes.
The compromise text aims to advance the revision of the Environmental Quality Standards Directive (2008/105/EC) and the Groundwater Directive (2006/118/EC), which set limits for priority substances in surface and groundwater. The non-papers on deterioration and reporting progress address how to define and monitor deterioration of water bodies and streamline reporting obligations.
Stakeholders affected include EU member states, which must implement the updated standards; water utilities and industries discharging pollutants, which may face stricter permit conditions; environmental NGOs, which have pushed for more ambitious limits; and the European Commission, which will assess the comments and propose final text.
The Council's call for comments is a procedural step to gather member state input before the Presidency prepares a revised compromise for the 26 March meeting. The European Parliament is expected to adopt its position later in 2024, with trilogues likely in early 2025.