In June 2007 the Environment Council unanimously agreed new water quality standards for a list of priority pollutants. Ministers adopted a compromise text, rejecting the European Parliament’s request to add problem pollutants to the European Commission’s initial list of 33 priority substances.

The list of priority substance is laid down in the draft “daughter” directive of the Water Framework Directive (WFD), which is designed to streamline the EU’s water legislation.

Although the proposed draft Directive sets limits on the concentrations in surface waters of pesticides, heavy metals and other chemical substances, in May the parliament voted to considerably increase the number of priority substances to include 28 other heavy metals and hazardous pesticides, a proposal now rejected by the Environment Council.

Environment NGOs expressed regret over the decisions and highlighted the importance of EU-wide standards.

Environment Ministers also watered-down provisions to reduce pollution at the source. Under existing legislation the water law’s ecosystem goals require industrial polluters to limit their discharges into the water. However, the Council has removed a pivotal reference in the Directive which would have made industrial polluters responsible for limiting their own discharges.

Read the EEB press release