Commissioner Roswall sets out her perspective on zero pollution!
The seventh meeting of the at the Zero Pollution Stakeholder Platform co-chaired by DG ENV and the Committee of the Regions took place on 3 March 2025. The purpose of the meetings was to engage stakeholders and national authorities in discussions on the Zero Pollution agenda in light of the 2024-2029 Political Guidelines on the basis of the published reports. In her opening speech, Jessika Roswall, Commissioner for Environment, Water Resilience and a Competitive Circular Economy, highlighted the challenges of pollution affecting health, environment and economy but also the opportunities for innovation and growth, stressing five key pillars for action: implementation, integration, international cooperation, investments, and innovation. She underlined the close links between achieving zero pollution and the circular economy, climate and biodiversity policies and closed by saying: “It is time to deliver. [….] Zero pollution once seemed like a dream—today, it is within reach. With just one generation until 2050, we must move fast and together.” The recording of the meeting is available here.
Second Zero Pollution Monitoring and Outlook published!
On 3 March 2025, the European Commission (ENV, JRC) together with the European Environment Agency (EEA), published its the 2nd Zero Pollution Monitoring and Outlook. The report assesses EU progress and the possibility in meeting 2030 zero pollution targets set in the Zero Pollution Action Plan. Underpinning the section on air pollution is the 4th Clean Air Outlook which was published on the same day. It is also complemented by an EEA Zero Pollution Monitoring Dashboard.
A new dashboard on zero pollution in regions and capital cities!
The new Dashboard on EU regions and capital cities was released on 3 March 2025. It tracks progress on clean air, water, and soil, and highlight improvements in wastewater sanitation, bathing water quality, and groundwater pollution, among other pollution aspects. The Dashboard lets you check pollution levels across the EU, wastewater sanitation effectiveness, and bathing and groundwater quality in your area. This is first prototype and the European Commission is looking for feedback to help direct the future improvements of the tool.
Two further actions of the Zero Pollution Action Plan completed – marine and bathing water evaluations!
The evaluations of the Marine Strategy Framework Directive and the Bathing Water Directive have been published on 6 March 2025 (see here). The aim of these evaluations is to examine whether the current rules are still fit for purpose. It includes a number of findings as regards their achievements, areas for improvement and identified gaps as well as any potential for simplification.
Emerging Water Pollution – updated Watch List adopted!
Are you considering releasing the industrial antioxidant 6PPD and its transformation product 6PPD-quinone, the antibiotic oxytetracycline, the antidepressants fluoxetine and propranolol, as well as a group of azole antifungals into bodies of water in the EU? Well think again! These, and several other substances, are now on the revised watch list of the Water Framework Directive. Member States must now monitor these pollutants and report their findings, ensuring better data collection for future regulatory action to protect water quality and aquatic ecosystems. Considering that only 29.5% of surface water bodies are known to be in good chemical status across the EU, this is a welcome measure that will help us achieve the directives chemical and ecological targets.
Stakeholder Conference on the upcoming EU Water Resilience Strategy!
On 6 March 2025, the European Commission hosted an event to gather stakeholder feedback for the preparation of the planned Strategy. Commissioner for Environment, Water Resilience and a Competitive Circular Economy Jessika Roswall highlighted in her keynote speech that “water is not yet sufficiently mainstreamed in other sector-specific policies. This must change. To be successful, we need a change of mindset in ALL policy areas affecting water.” This conference follows one month after the publication of a substantial water and marine package where the European Commission presented its latest assessment of the Member States’ efforts to implement the Water Framework Directive, the Floods Directive and the Marine Strategy Framework Directive.
