Member States of the European Union share the same level of ambition for water policies and management, set out by the Water Framework Directive (2000/60/EC): a series of technical directives contribute to achieving those ambitions. Three deserve particular attention: the Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive (UWWTD; 91/271/EEC); the Drinking Water Directive (DWD; 98/83/EC); and the Floods Directive (FD; 2007/60/EC).
Compliance with these technical directives contributes to achieving the ambition of the Water Framework Directive. More specifically, it contributes to a series of benefits for communities and member states. Compliance with the DWD contributes to inclusive health and hygiene. Compliance with the UWWTD contributes to minimising the load of pollutants in freshwater streams and the sea. Since the adoption of the UWWTD in 1991, the load of Biochemical Oxygen Demand, nitrates and phosphorus in treated urban waste water have decreased by 61%, 32% and 44% respectively, contributing to improved quality of surface water and coastal waters (European Commission, 2019, Evaluation of the UWWTD). This translates into minimising treatment costs downstream, healthy freshwater ecosystems, and improved bathing water quality, among other direct and indirect benefits. Implementation of the FD has supported a shift from policies based on flood defence, towards flood risk assessment, and is a potential template for best practices in disaster management (European Commission, 2019, Water Fitness check).
Still, several countries do not comply with the three technical directives. In the case of the revised DWD, some vulnerable groups or marginalised communities may not have access to safe drinking water. As regards urban wastewater collection and treatment, the UWWTD mandates secondary level of treatment, which remains an objective in some territories. The UWWTD also requests more stringent treatment in sensitive areas. Several countries, especially in rural communities, rely on Individual and other Appropriate sanitation Systems (IAS; for instance, sceptic tanks), and it is not always clear how the performance of such systems is monitored and compliance with the UWWTD is enforced. Another area of concern are combined sewer overflows and urban runoff. In times of climate change and recurring heavy rainfall events, the pollution from these sources becomes increasingly important to address.
Drinking water, urban wastewater collection and treatment, and flood protection are affected by emerging issues, which may put additional pressure on vital infrastructure and services. For instance, in the context of the evaluation of the UWWTD, the European Commission has identified issues such as contaminants of emerging concerns (CECs; essentially pharmaceutical residues or microplastics in freshwater), combined sewer overflows, small agglomerations and IAS, and sludge management as issues that need to be addressed to ensure that wastewater collection and treatment contribute to the objectives of the WFD and related priorities across Europe, now and in the future.
Limited availability of and access to finance are often mentioned by member states to explain distance to compliance or raise concern about the capacity to comply with future regulations on water supply and sanitation. Sufficient finance is needed to cover the investment needs for the three technical directives, to operate and maintain infrastructure and ensure good service and performance, and to respond to emerging challenges in the future.
The OECD and the European Commission joined forces to i) document investment needs member states face to comply (and remain compliant) with the DWD, UWWTD and FD, now and in the future, and to ii) assess financing capacities and characterise financing challenges more precisely. This analysis can support discussions on the options countries may wish to consider to close the financing gap. It can also help position and calibrate the support the European Commission can provide to member states to ensure compliance with the three directives at least cost for the community.