Activities of Damiano ZOFFOLI related to 2017/0332(COD)
Plenary speeches (2)
Quality of water intended for human consumption (debate) IT
Quality of water intended for human consumption (debate) IT
Amendments (25)
Amendment 118 #
Proposal for a directive
Title 1
Title 1
Proposal for a DIRECTIVE OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL on the quality of water intended for human consumption (recast) (Text with EEA relevance)
Amendment 134 #
Proposal for a directive
Recital 4
Recital 4
(4) Following the conclusion of the European citizens' initiative on the right to water (Right2Water)71 , a Union-wide public consultation was launched and a Regulatory Fitness and Performance (REFIT) Evaluation of Directive 98/83/EC was performed72 . It became apparent from that exercise that certain provisions of Directive 98/83/EC needed to be updated. Four areas were identified as offering scope for improvement, namely the list of quality-based parametric values, the limited relianceinconsistent application onf a risk-based approach, the imprecise provisions on consumer information, and the disparities between approval systems for materials in contact with water intended for human consumption and the implications this has for human health. In addition, the European citizens' initiative on the right to water identified as a distinct problem the fact that part of the population, - especially amongst vulnerable and marginalised groups, - has no access to water intended for human consumption, which is alsoinconsistent with the recognition that access to water is a basic right essential for the realisation of all human rights. It is also inconsistent with a commitment made under Sustainable Development Goal 6 of UN Agenda 2030. A final issue identified is the general lack of awareness of water leakages, which are driven by underinvestment in maintenance and renewal of the water infrastructure, as also pointed out in the European Court of Auditors' Special Report on water infrastructure73 . _________________ 71 72COM(2014) 177 final COM(2014) 177 final 72 SWD(2016) 428 final SWD(2016) 428 final 73 Special report of the European Court of Auditors SR 12/2017: "Implementing the Drinking Water Directive: water quality and access to it improved in Bulgaria, Hungary and Romania, but investment needs remains substantial".
Amendment 157 #
Proposal for a directive
Recital 7
Recital 7
(7) Where necessary to protect human health within their territories, Member States should be required to set values for additional parameters not included in Annex I in line with the full application of the precautionary principle. Member States should take such measures in cooperation with public health and environmental stakeholders, as well as with those responsible for the relevant sources or potential sources of pollution.
Amendment 162 #
Proposal for a directive
Recital 8
Recital 8
(8) Preventive safety planning and risk- based elements were only considered to a limited extent in Directive 98/83/EC. The first elements of a risk-based approach were already introduced in 2015 with Directive (EU) 2015/1787, which amended Directive 98/83/EC so as to allow Member States to derogate from the monitoring programmes they have established, provided credible risk assessments are performed, which may be based on the WHO’s Guidelines for Drinking Water Quality76 . Those Guidelines, laying down the so-called "Water Safety Plan" approach, together with standard EN 15975-2 concerning security of drinking water supply, are internationally recognised principles on which the production, distribution, monitoring and analysis of parameters in water intended for human consumption are based. They should be maintained in this Directive. To ensure that those principles are not limited to monitoring aspects, to focus time and resources on risks that matter and on cost- effective source measures, and to avoid analyses and efforts on non-relevant issues, it is appropriate to introduce a complete risk-based approach, throughout the supply chain, from the abstraction area to distribution until the tap. That approach should consist of three components: first, an assessment by the Member State of theall potential hazards associated with the abstraction area ("hazard assessment"), in line with the WHO’s Guidelines and Water Safety Plan Manual77 ; second, a possibility for the water supplier to adapt monitoring to the main risks ("supply risk assessment"); and third, an assessment by the Member State of the possible risks stemming from the domestic distribution systems (e.g. Legionella or lead) ("domestic distribution risk assessment"). Those assessments should be regularly reviewed, inter alia, in response to threats from climate-related extreme weather events, known changes of human activity in the abstraction area or in response to source-related incidents. The risk-based approach ensuresshould be founded upon a continuous exchange of information between competent authorities and, public health and environmental stakeholders, those responsible for pollution sources, as well as water suppliers. _________________ 76 Guidelines for drinking water quality, Fourth Edition, World Health Organisation, 2011 http://www.who.int/water_sanitation_healt h/publications/2011/dwq_guidelines/en/ind ex.html 77 Water Safety Plan Manual: step-by-step risk management for drinking water suppliers, World Health Organisation, 2009, http://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/10665/75 141/1/9789241562638_eng.pdf
Amendment 168 #
Proposal for a directive
Recital 9
Recital 9
(9) The hazard assessment should be geared towardstake a holistic approach to risk assessment, founded on the explicit aim of reducing the level of treatment required for the production of water intended for human consumption, for instance byprimarily via preventative measures which reducinge the pressures causing the pollution - or risks of pollution - of water bodies used for abstraction of water intended for human consumption. To that end, Member States should identify hazards and all possible pollution sources associated with those water bodies and monitor pollutants which they identify as relevant, for instance because of the hazards identified (e.g. microplastics, nitrates, pesticides or pharmaceuticals identified under Directive 2000/60/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council78 ), because of their natural presence in the abstraction area (e.g. arsenic), or because of information from the water suppliers (e.g. sudden increase of a specific parameter in raw water). TIn line with Directive 2000/60/CE, those parameters should be used as markers that trigger action by competent authorities to reduce the pressure on the water bodies, such as prevention or mitigating measures (including research to understand impacts on health where necessary), to protect those water bodies and address the pollution source, in cooperation with water suppliers and stakeholderpublic health and environmental stakeholders, as well as those responsible for pollutant or potential pollutant sources. _________________ 78 Directive 2000/60/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 23 October 2000 establishing a framework for Community action in the field of water policy (OJ L 327, 22.12.2000, p. 1).
Amendment 173 #
Proposal for a directive
Recital 10
Recital 10
(10) As regards the hazard assessment, Directive 2000/60/EC requires Member States to identify water bodies used for the abstraction of water intended for human consumption, monitor them, and take the necessary measures to avoid deterioration in their quality in order to reduce the level of purification treatment required in the production of water that is fit for human consumption, based on the principle that preventative measures should always be favoured over additional treatment. To avoid any duplication of obligations, Member States should, when carrying out the hazard assessment, clarify where responsibilities lie across the competent authorities and should make use of the monitoring carried out under Articles 7 and 8 of Directive 2000/60/EC and Annex V to that Directive and of the measures included in their programmes of measures pursuant to Article 11 of Directive 2000/60/EC.
Amendment 189 #
Proposal for a directive
Recital 14
Recital 14
(14) The risk-based approach should gradually be applied by all water suppliers, including small water suppliers, as the evaluation of Directive 98/83/EC showed deficiencies in its implementation by those suppliers, which were sometimes due to the cost of performing unnecessary monitoring operations. When applying the risk-based approach, security concerns, as well as the precautionary, polluter pays, and cost recovery principles, should be taken into account.
Amendment 200 #
Proposal for a directive
Recital 17
Recital 17
(17) The Commission, in its reply to the European citizens’ initiative ‘Right2Water’ in 201483 , invited Member States to ensure access to a minimum water supply for all citizens, in accordance with the WHO recommendations. It also committed to continue to "improve access to safe drinking water […] for the whole population through environmental policies"84 . This is in line with Articles 1 and 2 of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union. It is also founded upon Principle 20 of the European Pillar of Social Rights and UN General Assembly Resolutions No 64/292 and No 68/157, which explicitly recognise that access to drinking water is a basic right essential for the realisation of all human rights. This is also in line with UN Sustainable Development Goal 6 and the associated target to "achieve universal and equitable access to safe and affordable drinking water for all". The concept of equitable access covers a wide array of aspects such as availability (due for instance to geographic reasons,obstacles of geography, financial affordability, or a lack of infrastructure for the specific situation of certain parts of the populations), as well as quality, and acceptability, or. Concerning financial affordability. Concerning affordability of water, it is important to recall that, when setting water tariffs in accordance with the principle of recovery of costs and the polluter pays principle set out in Directive 2000/60/EC, Member States mayshould have regard to the variation in the economic and social conditions of the population and may thereforeshould either adopt social tariffs or take alternative measures to safeguarding populations at a socio- economic disadvantage. This Directive deal, such as through the provision of water banks, min particular,imum water quotas or water solidarity funds. This Directive deals with the aspects of access to water which are related to quality and availaccessibility. To address those aspects, as part of the reply to the European citizens' initiative and to contribute to the implementation of Principle 20 of the European Pillar of Social Rights85 that states that "everyone has the right to access essential services of good quality, including water", Member States should be required to tackle the issue of universal access to water at national level whilst enjoying some discretion as to the exact type of measures to be implemented. This can be done through actions aimed, inter alia, at improving access to water intended for human consumption for all, for instance with freely accessible fountaby ensuring a sufficient number of freely accessible designated refill points in cities, and towns and at promoting its use by encouraging the free provision of water intended for human consumption in public buildings and restaurants. _________________ 83 84awareness raising campaigns for the general public of the location of these refill points; at encouraging the free provision of water intended for human consumption in public buildings, restaurants, shopping and recreational centres, as well as, in particular, areas of transit and large footfall such as at train stations and airports. _________________ 83 COM(2014)177 final COM(2014)177 final 84 COM(2014)177 final, p. 12. COM(2014)177 final, p. 12. 85 Interinstitutional Proclamation on the European Pillar of Social Rights (2017/C 428/09) of 17 November 2017 (OJ C 428, 13.12.2017, p. 10).
Amendment 219 #
Proposal for a directive
Recital 19
Recital 19
(19) The 7th Environment Action Programme to 2020 ‘Living well, within the limits of our planet’90 , requires that the public have access to clear environmental information at national level. Directive 98/83/EC only provided for passive access to information, meaning that Member States merely had to ensure that information was available. Those provisions should therefore be replaced to ensure that up-to-date information is easily accessible, for instance on a website and understandable by the public, for instance in a booklet, or on a website or smart application whose link should be actively distributed. The up- to- date information should not only include results from the monitoring programmes, but also additional information that the public may find useful, such as information on, where applicable, annual turnover and shareholder dividends, as well as indicators (iron, hardness, minerals, etc.), which often influence consumers' perception of tap water. To that end, the indicator parameters of Directive 98/83/EC that did not provide health-related information should be replaced by on-line information on those parameters. For very large water suppliers, additional information on, inter alia, energy efficiency, management, governance, cost structure, and treatment applied, should also be available on-line. It is assumed that bBetter consumer knowledge and improved transparency will contributehelp to increasinge citizens' confidence in the water supplied to them. This in turn is expected, and will help to lead to an increased use of tap water, thereby contributing to reduced plastic litter and greenhouse gas emissions, and a positive impact on climate change mitigation and the environment as a whole. _________________ 90 Decision No 1386/2013/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 20 November 2013 on a General Union Environment Action Programme to 2020 ‘Living well, within the limits of our planet’ (OJ L 354, 28.12.2013, p. 171).
Amendment 226 #
Proposal for a directive
Recital 20
Recital 20
(20) For the same reasons, and in order to make consumers more aware of the implications of water consumption, they should also receive information (for instance on their invoice or by smart applications) on the volume consumed, the cost structure of the tariff charged by the water supplier, including variable and fixed costs, as well as on the price per litre of water intended for human consumption, thereby allowing afor an easy comparison with the price of bottled water. Information should also be provided on the overall performance of the water system, with particular regard to leakage rates, which should be expressed in terms of cubic metres of water produced/km of pipe per day.
Amendment 252 #
Proposal for a directive
Article 1 – paragraph 1
Article 1 – paragraph 1
1. This Directive concerns the quality of water intended for human consumption for all in the EU.
Amendment 254 #
Proposal for a directive
Article 1 – paragraph 2
Article 1 – paragraph 2
2. The objective of this Directive shall be to protect human health from the adverse effects of any contamination of water intended for human consumption by ensuring that it is wholesome and clean. At the same time, this Directive shall promote universal access to water intended for human consumption.
Amendment 311 #
Proposal for a directive
Article 4 – paragraph 2
Article 4 – paragraph 2
2. Member States shall ensure that the measures taken to implement this Directive adhere fully to the precautionary principle and in no circumstances have the effect of allowing, directly or indirectly, any deterioration of the present quality of water intended for human consumption or any increase in the pollution of waters used for the production of water intended for human consumption .
Amendment 353 #
Proposal for a directive
Article 7 – paragraph 3
Article 7 – paragraph 3
3. Supply risk assessments shall be carried out by very large water suppliers and large water supplierswater operators managing very large supply zones and large supply zones, as defined in Annex II, by [3 years after the end-date for transposition of this Directive], and by small water supplierfor water operators managing small supply zones by [6 years after the end-date for transposition of this Directive]. They shall be reviewed at regular intervals of no longer than 6 years, and updated where necessary.
Amendment 382 #
Proposal for a directive
Article 8 – paragraph 3 – point a
Article 8 – paragraph 3 – point a
Amendment 386 #
Proposal for a directive
Article 8 – paragraph 3 – point a a (new)
Article 8 – paragraph 3 – point a a (new)
(a a) in cooperation with water suppliers and other public health and environmental stakeholders, take prevention measures to reduce or avoid the level of treatment required and to safeguard the water quality, including measures referred to in Article 11(3)(d) of Directive 2000/60/EC;
Amendment 388 #
Proposal for a directive
Article 8 – paragraph 3 – point a c (new)
Article 8 – paragraph 3 – point a c (new)
(a c) where measures set out above have not been deemed sufficient as providing adequate protections for human health, Member States may require water suppliers to carry out additional monitoring or treatment of certain parameters;
Amendment 499 #
Proposal for a directive
Article 13 – title
Article 13 – title
13 AUniversal access to water intended for human consumption
Amendment 500 #
Proposal for a directive
Article 13 – paragraph –1 (new)
Article 13 – paragraph –1 (new)
-1. The right to safe and clean drinking water is recognised as a basic right which is essential for the full enjoyment of life and the realisation of all human rights as set out in UN General Assembly Conventions No 64/292 and No 68/157;
Amendment 535 #
Proposal for a directive
Article 13 – paragraph 1 – point c – point i
Article 13 – paragraph 1 – point c – point i
(i) launching campaigns to inform citizens about the quality of such water and providing adequate legal framework for these campaigns to be carried out without infringement of national competition legislations;
Amendment 537 #
Proposal for a directive
Article 13 – paragraph 1 – point c – point i
Article 13 – paragraph 1 – point c – point i
(i) launching campaigns to inform citizens about the quality of suchtap water;
Amendment 543 #
Proposal for a directive
Article 13 – paragraph 1 – point c – point ii
Article 13 – paragraph 1 – point c – point ii
(ii) encouraging the free provision of such water in administrations and public buildings, and discouraging the use of plastic bottles;
Amendment 719 #
Proposal for a directive
Annex I – part B – table – row 30
Annex I – part B – table – row 30
PFOA + PFOS 0,09 μg/l PFOS 0,03 μg/l PFASs - Total 0,530 μg/l 'PFASs Total' means the sum of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (chemical formula: CnF2n+1−R).
Amendment 847 #
Proposal for a directive
Annex IV – paragraph 1 – point 7 – point b
Annex IV – paragraph 1 – point 7 – point b
(b) information on management and governance of the water supplier, including the composition of the board and, where applicable, information relating to the annual turnover and shareholder dividends of the company;
Amendment 858 #
Proposal for a directive
Annex IV – paragraph 1 – point 7 – point d
Annex IV – paragraph 1 – point 7 – point d
(d) where costs are recovered through a tariff system, information on the cost structure of the tariff charged to consumers per cubic meter of water, including fixed and variable costs, presenting at least costs related to energy use per cubic meter of delivered water, measures taken by water suppliers for the purposes of the hazard assessment pursuant to Article 8(4), treatment and distribution of water intended for human consumption, waste water collection and treatment, and costs related to measures for the purposes of Article 13, where such measures have been taken by water suppliers, information relating to the measures taken to reduce leakage rates as stipulated under Article 4.3;