Making every drop count
These days, policymakers, non-governmental organisations, businesses, and other stakeholders across the water sector are gathering for the European Union’s Green Week to discuss the future of water resilience. Water is a crucial resource in almost every sector, from industrial production to food systems and sanitation for individuals. With recent natural disasters, increased climate change impacts, decades of mismanagement, pollution and the European Commission's newly proposed update on the Urban Wastewater Treatment Directive, this year’s focus on water resilience is particularly relevant.
Today, 98% of wastewater in Europe is collected and 92% is treated under EU standards. Despite reaching considerable improvements in water quality in Europe over the past 30 years, there is still an urgent need to tackle emerging pollutants to protect both human health and the environment.
The EU Directive on Urban Wastewater Treatment represents an important moment in the collective efforts to address water pollution. The updated regulation revolves around the collection, treatment, and discharge of urban wastewater. Member States need to ensure that urban areas collect and treat wastewater which would otherwise pollute rivers, lakes and seas, supporting the EU’s ambition to achieve a zero-pollution environment by 2050 set out in the European Green Deal. However, collecting wastewater requires huge investments across Europe. The cost of implementing the Urban Wastewater Treatment Directive, as well as the Drinking Water Directive is estimated at €289 billion by 2030.
In Denmark, the government has recently established the Water Regulation Committee, which aims to deliver new recommendations for an efficient water sector with stable consumer prices and continued sector development. The committee will closely examine the sector’s economic regulation to ensure that it accommodates environmental, climate, health, supply security and consumer price considerations. The committee’s work will begin after the summer of 2024 and will culminate in professional recommendations for the government.
The EU’s Green Week is taking place in Brussels 29-30 May and numerous relevant events are on the programme including creating a water-smart EU economy featuring Deputy Director General at Danish Industries, Emil Fannikke Kjær as panellist.
Read more about Danish ambitions and insights on wastewater below.
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