Standard content for Members only
To continue reading this article, please login to your Utility Week account, Start 14 day trial or Become a member.
If your organisation already has a corporate membership and you haven’t activated it simply follow the register link below. Check here.
The EU Drinking Water Directive could face amendments after the European Commission launched a public consultation in a response to the European Citizens' Initiative Right2Water.
The consultation seeks views on the current level of drinking water quality, the main threats to drinking water and possible additional actions that could be taken at EU level.
Right2Water was the first campaigning group to reach Brussels via the European Citizens’ Initiative (ECI), which gives citizens the chance to ask for European legislation, if they can collect one million signatures in support of their plans. Right2Water amassed 1,659,543.
The group had proposed legislation to ensure water services will not be privatised in the EU and that access to clean water is viewed as a human right rejected by the commission in March.
However, European Commission presidential candidate Jean-Claude Juncker, has signalled his commitment to implementing a human right to water and sanitation if he takes up the post in the next legislature.
Open until 15 September, the consultation is aimed at national authorities, international organisations, non-governmental organisations and other interested parties or individual citizens.
The directive is aimed at protecting human health from the adverse effects of any contamination of water and member states are responsible for ensuring these objectives are met.
Janez Potočnik, the environment commissioner, said: “The supply of safe, good quality drinking water across the EU is a major achievement of EU legislation. But we have to look to the challenges ahead, and address the concerns raised in this European Citizens’ Initiative. That means continuing the citizen-driven dialogue, and listening to the expectations of consumers and other stakeholders for EU drinking water legislation in the future.”
In addition to the consultation, the commission said it will also launch a structured stakeholder dialogue looking at transparency in the water sector.
Please login or Register to leave a comment.