EU/Water: agreement between Council and Parliament on inclusion of new substances in the pollutants lists

The Council Presidency and representatives of the European Parliament have reached a provisional political agreement on a proposal for a directive to review and update the lists of pollutants affecting surface water and groundwater and the corresponding regulatory standards, the European Commission reported on 23/09/2025.

The agreement updates the environmental quality standards for a number of pollutants and adds 25 new ones.

The European Parliament and the Council will have to formally adopt the new directive, which will enter into force 20 days after its publication in the Official Journal of the EU. Member States will then have to implement its requirements and transpose the amendments to the three directives concerned: the Water Framework Directive, the Environmental Quality Standards Directive and the Groundwater Directive, by 22/12/2027 at the latest.

" Today's agreement is an important step towards achieving cleaner water for all Europeans. We are taking a major step forward to limit water pollution by PFAS, pesticides and other dangerous chemicals. This is in line with the…