ZeroPM members responded to call for evidence for the Water Resilience Strategy by the Commission. Members of ZeroPM involved in the response stated that they broadly support the Environment Committee’s (ENVI) rapporteur’s draft report on 29 January, that states ‘addressing pollution is equally essential to achieving water resilience’ as is water efficiency. ZeroPM members agree with the reports call for better implementation and enforcement and for the Commission to ‘establish comprehensive EU-wide quality standards for PFAS totals in groundwater and surface water’, the need to address pollution from pharmaceuticals and other emerging pollutants, and to better monitor pesticide residues in water. The ZeroPM members also support a dedicated fund for water resilience in the upcoming multi-annual financial framework and the call for a wider application of the cost recovery principle.
In ZeroPM we see the issues of water resilience ultimately linked to a combination of threats from pollution, climate change, and degradation of ecosystems, in particular to:
- Ensure clean and affordable water and sanitation for all; and
- Promote a competitive EU water industry and a clean, water-wise and circular economy
You can read the full response on the European Commission’s website, or below: