On March 30, 2026, the European Parliament and the Council jointly adopted a draft EU directive proposing amendments to three key water policy directives (the Water Framework Directive (2000/60/EC), the Groundwater Protection Directive (2006/118/EC), and the Environmental Quality Standards Directive for Surface Waters (2008/105/EC)) to strengthen water body protection across the EU.
Key Amendments
I. New Priority Controlled Pollutants
1. PFAS (Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances)
|
Category |
Control Measures |
|
Surface Waters |
Environmental Quality Standards (EQS) for the sum of 25 PFAS |
|
Groundwater |
Quality standards for the sum of 20 PFAS |
|
Special Control |
Individual sum standards for 4 most hazardous PFAS |
Priority PFAS Substances of Concern:
- Perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS): Already listed as a priority substance; control measures strengthened under this revision
- Trifluoroacetic acid (TFA): Included in the sum of 25 PFAS due to its high toxicity, persistence, and widespread sources (fluorinated pesticides, refrigerants); separate standards may be established in the future
2. Pharmaceutical Residues (Medicinal Products)
|
Category |
Control Measures |
|
Surface Waters |
Three estrogenic pharmaceuticals (ethinylestradiol, estradiol, estriol) added to priority substance list |
|
Groundwater |
Specific pharmaceuticals included in pollutant list |
|
Effect Monitoring |
Effect-based monitoring methods adopted to assess cumulative risks of estrogenic pharmaceuticals |
3. Bisphenol Substances
|
Category |
Control Measures |
|
Immediate Implementation |
Bisphenol A listed as priority hazardous substance with established EQS |
|
Watch List |
"Sum of Bisphenols" included in Annex III |
|
Minimum Requirements |
Member States required to identify and monitor Bisphenol B and Bisphenol S as river basin-specific pollutants |
4. Other New Watch List Substances
- Microplastics
- Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) indicators
II. Adjustment of Legal Definitions and Concepts
|
Original Definition |
Revised Definition |
|
"Chemical status" covering only priority substances |
Expanded to include river basin-specific pollutants |
|
River basin-specific pollutants under "ecological status" |
Incorporated into unified "chemical status" management |
III. Optimization of Standards System
- New Annex: Retention list established for substances no longer posing widespread risks but still requiring attention
- Standards Alignment: Groundwater PFAS standards automatically synchronized with parametric values under the Drinking Water Directive
- 20-Year Phase-Out: Discharges of priority hazardous substances must cease within 20 years of their listing
The revised draft directive will enter into force 20 days after its publication in the Official Journal of the European Union.
