EU: new directive strengthening water protection enters into force, giving a "major role" to ECHA

The EU directive revising the lists of pollutants in surface and groundwaters enters into force on 11/05/2026, announced the European Commission. These additions cover certain “forever chemicals” PFAS (such as TFA), pesticides and pharmaceuticals and for the first time, the rules also address microplastics, indicators of antimicrobial resistance, and sensitive groundwater ecosystems.

The updated EU water protection framework amends 3 pieces of EU legislation : the Water Framework Directive, the Environmental Quality Standards Directive and the Groundwater Directive.

Thereby, "the implementation of the new rules will make the EU more water-resilient, contributing to its zero-pollution and water-resilience ambitions. The revision allows more flexible application of the principle of non-deterioration of water status to facilitate important economic activities, while ensuring safeguards for environmental and health protections".

In addition, the law gives a "major role" to ECHA, the European Chemicals Agency, in "preparing future revisions of the pollutant lists and their standards…