WRITTEN QUESTION E-2854/98

by Ursula Schleicher (PPE) to the Commission

(28 September 1998)

Subject: Waste water levies in the countries of the European Union

In addition to the substantial investment and running costs in connection with the treatment of waste water in accordance with the EU legislation, some Member States are imposing some additional waste water levies. Under the Law on Waste Water Levies in the Federal Republic of Germany levies have to be paid for the discharge of waste water into any body of water. The amount of the levy depends on the organic waste load, which is calculated separately in respect of various parameters, initially in pollution units. A rate of levy is afterwards applied to those pollution units. This results in very heavy additional financial burdens for undertakings in Germany.

1. Do similar waste water levies exist in other European Community countries, and if so, which?

2. In each case, in respect of what parameters ( pollutants) must levies be paid?

3. How high are the rates of levy in respect of the various parameters?

4. Are there any reductions, and if so, under what circumstances?

5. Can levies be set off against expenditure incurred in setting up or expanding waste water treatment plants?

Answer given by Mrs Bjerregaard on behalf of the Commission

(29 October 1998)

The determination of costs for water supply and wastewater treatment falls, under the existing legal situation, into the competence of the Member States. These costs may contain also the environment costs, which form an incentive to the reduction of water pollution in the form of fees beside the costs for the establishment and operation of the necessary plants.

The proposal of the Commission for a water framework directive(1) provides for the principle of the levying of cost-covering fees for water services. However at present this covers only financial costs, not environment and resource costs. Following this proposal the Commission will, where this is appropriate, come forward with proposals to ensure that the prices for water use also reflect environment and resource costs.

The Commission requested the Member States to furnish information about wastewater fees in 1994. However not all Member States answered the questions completely and since then the regulations on the levy of wastewater fees may have changed. Based on the information obtained at that time, the situation is that in most of the Member States fees for the derivative from sewage are levied. The type and the scope of the collection of charges and the fee scale differ strongly from each other. In principle, one has to differentiate between the levy from fees for indirect discharge (discharge of the wastewater into collecting systems) and fees for direct discharge (discharge of the treated wastewater into waters). Fees for indirect discharge are levied in all Member States, but not always from all groups of wastewater producers. Wastewater fees for direct discharge, as they are raised in Germany on the basis of the Abwasserabgabengesetz, are also levied in Belgium, Spain, France, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom. The basis for the determination of the level of the fee is usually the waste load. This is made either on the basis of measurements, calculations or the permission values. Therefore, in most of the Member States the organic load, removable materials, heavy metals and nutrients (phosphorous and nitrogen) are used as parameters. In France and Germany toxic materials and halogenised hydrocarbons are also used as parameters.

A direct comparison of the fee level for the waste load is not possible because of different calculation systems.

(1) COM(97) 49 final modified by COM(97) 614 final and COM(98) 76 final.