The European Anglers Alliance has been working on the Water Framework Directive’s implementation for years now, including in the context of the European Parliament Forum on Recreational Fisheries and the Aquatic Environment. The WFD aims to protect and improve EU rivers, lakes, streams, wetlands, groundwaters, ‘transitional waters’ (e.g., lagoons, fjords, estuaries), and man-made water bodies (e.g., canals, docks).

The angling experience depends on healthy water bodies and rich fish stocks, and anglers are often the first to notice a deterioration in the aquatic environment. Full implementation of the European Water Framework Directive is crucial to support fish migration and maintain healthy fish stocks. 

With this open letter, the EAA urges EU institutions to swiftly adopt the proposed new quality standards for surface and groundwater and ensure that Member States take action on the new pollutants in the upcoming River Basin Management Plans.

Dear Commissioner,
Dear Polish Representative to COREPER I
Dear Chair of the Committee on the Environment, Climate and Food Safety

The EEA’s recent State of Water report revealed that water pollution across the EU remains significant, with less than 30% of surface water bodies meeting good chemical status, putting at risk the health of aquatic ecosystems, access to clean water and burdening the public budget. Strong regulatory action is needed to prevent further water pollution, but close to 2.5 years after the publication of the Commission’s proposal to update the lists of priority pollutants for surface and groundwater, an agreement between the EU institutions is still not reached. As a result, critical pollutants such as PFAS, pesticides and pharmaceuticals remain unregulated in EU waters contributing to widespread contamination - even of Europe’s most pristine waters.

We are also concerned about the attempts of the Council to include new exemptions to Article 4 of the WFD, for temporary deterioration and for allowing deterioration following relocation of water or sediment. These amendments to core elements of the WFD go against the recent evaluation that concluded that the WFD is fit for purpose. Competitiveness also means keeping a stable regulatory framework on water in order to drive investment into the water sector. Additionally, Member States already have a large margin to provide permits also for projects that lead to deterioration of water status when they are determined to be of overriding public interest.
The update of the list of priority pollutants in surface water and groundwater is already long overdue. The lists should be updated at least every 6 years to keep up with the science and ensure water security. However, those updates were last done in 2013 for surface water and in 2014 for groundwater. Two other initiatives (on air quality and urban wastewater) presented in the same zero pollution package have already been adopted.

Member States need urgent clarity on which rules to apply in the upcoming River Basin Management Plans (RBMPs) for the period 2028-2033. Work on these RBMPs should start in 2025, but a delay in adoption could result in a material impossibility for Member States to take the updated lists of pollutants into account when drafting their plans. This would mean delaying the monitoring and tackling of new substances by six years. 

The uptake of innovative pollution monitoring technologies has great potential to facilitate the implementation of the updated list of pollutants. The impact assessment of the Commission’s proposal also showed that the benefits for society (savings in the cost of water and sludge treatment, a healthier ecosystem and savings in healthcare costs) considerably outweigh the costs of additional monitoring.

We therefore call on you to: