The European Commission launched a four-week call for evidence today (17 March) to support a review and targeted revision of the Water Framework Directive (WFD), the main EU law for protecting and improving the status of Europe’s waters.
As announced in the RESourceEU Action Plan, the Commission is accelerating its efforts to secure the EU’s supply of critical raw materials to shield industry and supply chains from geopolitical and price shocks.
By building on input from stakeholders with experience in implementing the WFD, the Commission intends to address regulatory bottlenecks and simplify the legislation to promote circularity and access to critical raw materials while maintaining high standards that protect human health and the environment.
The call for evidence is the first step in this process and will inform preparation of the review and any subsequent proposals.
The targeted revision of the WFD should ensure it continues to contribute to water resilience as outlined in the Water Resilience Strategy, while supporting the EU’s strategic autonomy in relation to critical raw materials.
Stakeholders are encouraged to participate in the online consultation, which is open until 14 April.
This includes businesses, particularly those in the critical raw materials value chain, civil society, water management companies, Member State and regional authorities, including permitting authorities for critical raw material projects and those responsible for ensuring compliance with the WFD.
In particular, the relevant businesses are invited to provide concrete evidence demonstrating that the provisions of the WFD hinder the EU’s strategic autonomy in critical raw materials.
Information is also welcome on the environmental impacts of critical raw material projects and potential mitigation measures, including socially responsible sourcing practices and associated costs.
More information, including details on how to participate in the call for evidence, is available via the Commission’s Have Your Say portal.
Background
The Water Framework Directive is the cornerstone of EU water policy, and its effective implementation is a key focus of the Water Resilience Strategy.
It requires Member States to ensure that all surface water (lakes, rivers, transitional and coastal waters) and groundwater achieve good quality status by 2015.
This deadline can be postponed to 2027 under certain conditions. It has been in place since 2000. The WFD fitness check in 2019 confirmed the clear added value of EU action on water policy.
The RESourceEU plan aims to secure raw materials for key industrial sectors, from automotives to industrial motors, defence to aerospace, or AI chips to data centres, all while protecting EU value chains from supply disruptions.
The recent weaponisation of critical raw materials by dominant market players highlighted the need to accelerate existing efforts to enhance supply security.
The Action Plan builds on the Critical Raw Materials Act to reduce the EU’s dependencies more rapidly by proposing concrete policy and financing tools.
