1. Recast of the Drinking Water Directive COM(2017) 753 final Commission adoption: 01.02.2018
5th meeting of the CIS Ad-hoc Task-Group on water reuse 3 May 2018, Brussels

2. Tap water in the EU is clean
Above 98% compliance in last reporting exercise

3. What happened?
2014
European Citizens Initiative Right2Water
Follow-up: Public consultation on drinking water
2016
REFIT Evaluation Drinking Water Directive
2017
Cooperation with WHO: recommendations
Impact Assessment Study and Staff Working Document
European Pillar of Social Rights "Everyone has the right to access essential services … including water.
2018
Recast proposal

4. What's new? Updated parameters Risk-based approach
Increased transparency
Access to water
Highest quality standards for materials in contact

5. Cooperation with WHO and Studies

6. Microbiology WHO recommendations Commission's proposal
Control risks specifically for viral and protozoal pathogens,
microbiological verification monitoring in Annex I Part A
Inclusion of
somatic coliphages +
clostridium perfringens spores
No hazard assessment/ RBA etc.
Focus: we took up what WHO suggested, compatible with Water Safety Plan

7. Proposal covers complete
Risk-based approach
Catchment area
(also WFD)
Treatment
Point of compliance
Drinking Water Distribution
Consumer
OLD
Abstraction
Supply
Distribution
Consumer
NEW
Proposal covers complete
water supply chain

8. DWD proposal is compatible with WHO's Water Safety Plan
Parameters and RBA
MS can allow suppliers to decrease monitoring frequencies (Art. 8, Hazard Assessment)
Suppliers can deviate from frequencies (Art. 9 Supply Risk Assessment)
Reduce: <60%; remove parameter:< 30% of the value
Results obtained over 3 years? No, available results by the date of entry into force can be used (Annex II Part C Nr 4)
DWD proposal is compatible with WHO's Water Safety Plan

9. Protecting EU citizens’ health
Improved health protection
Limited costs for water suppliers
Updated/new Parameters
→Based on WHO Report
Risk-based approach
→ Monitoring only where substances are detected
Main message:
We have based our proposal on an in depth review achieved by the WHO. All the recommendation of the WHO were followed but we were more strict on some of them (when it was justified from health point of view and when the costs/technology were accessible).
By combining stricter limit values /new parameters with the risk based approach we manage to limit the cost by focusing the efforts where it makes sense!
New parameters includes:
EDC = endocrine-disrupting compounds
PFAS = perfluorinated compounds (eg used in Teflon or Gore Tex companies)
Better alignment with Water Framework Directive

10. Art. 13 on access to water
Measures to ensure access to water for vulnerable and marginalised groups
Measures to improve access to tap water: encourage to build infrastructure, free access in public spaces, campaigns …
MS have the obligation to take measure to improve/ensure access to water but they remain free to choose the most appropriate actions depending on local conditions. MS will have to report on the measures taken to the Commission . Respect principle of subsidiarity

11. Seek first reading agreement under the current mandate
This proposal is expected to contribute to:
Protect EU citizens – we are doing better than WHO
Maintain EU water industry at the top
Provide concrete answers to the first EU citizen initiative
Improve transparency and confidence in tap water
Simplify procedures and reporting
Next steps:
Proposal submitted to co-legislators European Parliament and Council
8 week feedback mechanism open until 28 March 2018 through 'Share your view' page on the Commission's Better Regulation Website
Negotiations with European Parliament and Council
EP: ENVI
Council WP Environment; 2018: BG, AT presidency
Seek first reading agreement under the current mandate

12. Evaluation of the Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive
Assessment of the functioning of the directive in the past:
Effectiveness, efficiency, relevance, EU-added value and coherence
Cooperation with WFD and Floods Directive Fitness Check ongoing
Joint consultation strategy
Consultation activities
Expert work-shops in Q3/4 2018; potential topics: micropollutants, stormwater overflows and individual appropriate systems
Stakeholder conference in Q3/4 2018: Presentation of preliminary findings
Finalization of study and publication of SWD
Q2/3 '19
Start of open public consultation
Q2 '18
Publication of the roadmap
Q4 '17
Stakeholder conference
Q3/4 '18
The Evaluation of the Directive is an ex-post exercise. The assessment of the functioning of the directive focuses on the Better Regulation criteria: efficiency, effectiveness, coherence, relevance, and EU-added value.
The launch of the Evaluation took place in Q through the publication of the roadmap on europa.eu. Via the feedback mechanism 28 replies were received.
A preliminary list of key issues has been identified, it includes topics such as storm water overflows, individual appropriate systems, possible lack of coherence with other directives, reporting and information provisions lead often to outdated information etc. The list of key issues was validated in back-to-back interviews with stakeholders, but remains flexible.
Cooperation with the WFD Fitness Check is ongoing. A first joint document, namely the consultation strategy, is planned to be published end of April. Although the open public consultations will run separately, some of the thematic expert workshops are planned to be held together.
A large stakeholder conference, in which preliminary findings of the evaluative study will be presented, is planned for October/November 2018.
It is planned to publish the evaluative study and the Commission staff working document in Q2/
Launch evaluative study
Q1 '18
Thematic workshops
Q3/4 '18