REPORT FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT, THE COUNCIL, THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COMMITTEE AND THE COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS Tenth report on the implementation status and programmes for implementation (as required by Article 17 of Council Directive 91/271/EEC, concerning urban waste water treatment)
Date: 2020-09-10
Institutions: Directorate-General for Environment, European Commission
Subjects: EU investment, application of EU law, environmental monitoring, innovation, urban area, wastewater, water pollution, water protection, water resources, water treatment

EN 

  EN 

   EUROPEAN COMMISSION  Brussels, 10.9.2020 COM(2020) 492 final  REPORT FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT, THE COUNCIL, THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COMMITTEE AND THE COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS Tenth report on the implementation status and programmes for implementation (as required by Article 17 of Council Directive 91/271/EEC, concerning urban waste water treatment) {SWD(2020) 145 final}  
 
 
Contents 

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ................................................................................................. 2 

1.  POLICY CONTEXT ................................................................................................... 3 

2.  COMPLIANCE RATE IN THE EU ........................................................................... 3 

2.1  Trends in compliance ........................................................................................ 5 

3 

IMPLEMENTATION STATUS - DISTANCE TO TARGET ................................... 6 

3.1.1 

3.1  Collection of waste water .................................................................................. 6 
Individual systems or other appropriate systems ................................ 7 
3.2  Secondary or biological treatment ..................................................................... 8 
3.3  More stringent or tertiary treatment .................................................................. 9 
3.3.1  Designation of sensitive areas by Member States ............................. 10 

4  NATIONAL PROGRAMMES FOR IMPLEMENTATION .................................... 12 

5 

PROMOTING COMPLIANCE ................................................................................ 13 

5.1  Funding and financing investments ................................................................. 13 
Financing strategies ........................................................................... 13 
EU funding ........................................................................................ 15 
5.2  Legal enforcement ........................................................................................... 15 

5.1.1 
5.1.2 

6 

IMPACT ON THE WATER ENVIRONMENT ....................................................... 15 

7  CONCLUSIONS ....................................................................................................... 16 

1 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 

The Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive (UWWTD) has a role to play in steering the EU 
towards the zero pollution ambition proclaimed in the European Green Deal1. 

It  requires  Member  States  to  ensure  that  agglomerations  (cities,  towns,  urban  settlements) 
collect and treat in a suitable manner waste water which would otherwise pollute rivers, lakes 
and seas. By doing so, UWWTD plays a key role in protecting human health and sustaining 
the  overall  resilience  of  aquatic  ecosystems.  It  also  has  an  important  role  to  play  in  the 
circular economy, through the reuse of treated waste water and sewage sludge, the production 
of renewable energy, and the recycling of nutrients.  

This is the 10th biennial report on Member States’ implementation of the UWWTD and their 
programmes  of  investment.  It  covers  2016  and  encompasses  over  23,600  agglomerations 
where  people  (and,  to  a  limited  extent,  industry)  generate  waste  water  amounting  to 
612 million population equivalents (p.e.). Collection and treatment of urban waste water have 
improved over the last decade in the EU, with compliance rates of 95% for collection, 88% 
for  secondary  (biological)  treatment,  and  86%  for  more  stringent  treatment  (removal  of 
phosphorus  and  nitrogen).  However,  we  are  still  some  way  from  attaining  full  compliance 
with UWWTD. The distance to target remains significant in some Member States: an amount 
of urban waste water corresponding to 6.6 million p.e. (1%) is not collected, over 37 million 
p.e.  (6%)  of  the  waste  water  collected  are  not  sufficiently  well  treated  to  meet  secondary 
treatment standards, while nearly 32 million p.e. (8%) do not meet more stringent treatment 
standards.  This  means  there  are  agglomerations  in  the  EU  where  infrastructure  needs  to  be 
built or improved. Infringement cases are systematically launched in cases of non-compliance.  

Finance  and  planning  remain  the  main  challenges  facing  the  water  service  sector.  The  total 
investment needs to ensure compliance with UWWTD, as estimated in 2016 by all Member 
States (including the UK at the time) come to almost EUR 229 billion. The OECD similarly 
estimates  that  EU  countries  and  the  UK  will  need  to  spend  an  additional  EUR 253 billion 
between 2020 and 2030 to reach and maintain compliance with UWWTD. Current spending 
in  many  Member  States  has  been  found  to  be  too  low  to  reach  and  maintain  long-term 
compliance.2  

The data of the 10th report were used not only to analyse implementation but also to evaluate 
this directive. The UWWTD was subject to a REFIT evaluation. The results were published in 
2019.3  In  response  to  the  evaluation’s  findings,  the  Commission  launched  an  impact 
assessment which will assess policy options to make the UWWTD fit for future.  

1  Communication  from 

the  Commission,  The  European  Green  Deal  (COM/2019/640):  https://eur-

lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=COM%3A2019%3A640%3AFIN 

2 OECD, 2020 Estimating investment needs and financing capacities for water-related investment in EU member 

countries: https://ec.europa.eu/environment/water/water-framework/economics/OECD_study_en.htm 

3 

Evaluation 
urbanwaste/pdf/UWWTD%20Evaluation%20SWD%20448-701%20web.pdf  

(SWD(2019)701): 

the  UWWTD 

of 

https://ec.europa.eu/environment/water/water-

2 

 
 
 
                                                 
1.  POLICY CONTEXT 

The  Urban  Waste  Water  Treatment  Directive4  (UWWTD)  has  a  role  to  play  in  steering  the 
EU  towards  the  ambition  of  zero  pollution  proclaimed  in  the  European  Green  Deal5.  The 
UWWTD  is  a  ‘basic  measure’  under  the  Water  Framework  Directive6(WFD).  It  plays  a 
significant role in improving the status of bodies of water in the EU, improveing the resilience 
of ecosystems and protecting biodiversity. In view of the significant challenge to ensure good 
status for the EU’s bodies of water by latest 2027, effective collection and treatment of urban 
waste water is very important. It also plays a role in protecting human health e.g. waste water 
surveillance supported detecting COVID-19 before and during the pandemic and can provide 
early warning for health authorities7. 

The water service sector is important for the European Green Deal, being a necessary measure 
towards achieving the EU’s ambitions of reaching climate-neutrality and eliminating pollution 
while also creating sustainable growth and jobs. The waste water sector can contribute to the 
circular economy through the reuse of treated waste water and sewage sludge, the production 
of renewable energy, and the recycling of nutrients. 

The  UWWTD  is  also  a  step  on  the  way  to  achieving  the  United  Nations’  Sustainable 
Development  Goals,  particularly  SDG  6,  ensuring  access  to  water  and  sanitation  for  all.8 
Worldwide, 2.4 billion people (around 10 million of whom live in the EU) have no access to 
improved sanitation facilities. The EU is a source of green technologies for the water service 
sector worldwide and of innovative solutions; of the world’s largest water companies, 8 out of 
15 are EU-based.9  

In  2020,  the  Commission  launched  an  impact  assessment  to  assess  policy  options  to  make 
UWWTD fit for the future. This was done in response to the UWWTD evaluation conducted 
in parallel with the fitness check on the WFD, its daughter directives and the Floods Directive 
in 2019.  

2.  COMPLIANCE RATE IN THE EU 

This  is  the  10th  biennial  report  on  Member  States’  implementation  of  UWWTD  and  their 
investment programmes.  10 It summarises the assessment of data reported for 2016 based on 
the requirements of Article 15 and 17 of the UWWTD.  

4  Council  Directive  concerning  urban  waste  water  treatment  (91/271/EEC):  https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-

content/EN/TXT/?qid=1581334912523&uri=CELEX:01991L0271-20140101 
5 Communication from the Commission, The European Green Deal (COM/2019/640)  

6 

7 

Water 

Framework 

Directive 

(2000/60/EC): 

https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-

content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:02000L0060-20141120  

https://ec.europa.eu/jrc/en/science-update/call-notice-feasibility-assessment-eu-wide-wastewater-monitoring-
system-sars-cov-2-surveillance  

8

  United  Nations,  Sustainable  Development  Goals:  http://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/water-and-
sanitation/ and https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/web/sdi/clean-water-and-sanitation 

9 Evaluation of the UWWTD (SWD(2019)701)  
10 2016 UWWTD data  includes data  from the UK. It excludes  most data  on Croatia,  which  was not  subject to 
compliance obligations in 2016. 

. 

3 

 
 
                                                 
Collection and treatment of urban waste water has improved. However, full compliance 
with UWWTD has not yet been achieved throughout the EU.  

The EU reached high compliance rates in 2016: 

  95%  for  collection  (through  collecting  systems  and  individual  or  other  appropriate 

systems - IAS); 

  88% for secondary treatment (biological treatment); 
  86%  for  treatment  more  stringent  than  secondary  treatment  (mostly  removal  of 
nitrogen and/or phosphorus in agglomerations >10,000 p.e. that discharge waste water 
into sensitive areas and their catchments). 

As the figure below shows, not  all waste water  collected has  to  be cleaned to  the same 
standard or to meet requirements under Articles 4 and 5. The required level of treatment 
depends on the size of the agglomeration and on the sensitivity of water into which the 
effluent is discharged.  

Fig  1  –  2016  compliance  rate  in  the  EU  with  Articles  3,  4  and  5  [percentage  of  waste  water  load  of 
agglomerations which complied with a given article] 

Pending  (grey)  refers  to  transitional  periods  applicable  to  waste  water  generated  in  recently  designated 
sensitive areas. Article 5 compliance rate includes the data of Member States applying Article 5(4).  

In 2016, the Member States reported over 23,600 agglomerations with a population equivalent 
(p.e.) of 2,000 and above. These agglomerations generated a waste water load of 612 million 
p.e.,  mostly  from  domestic  sources,  but  also  including  industrial  waste  water  and  run-off 

4 

 
 
 
 
rainwater. Industry’s share is limited but its waste water may contain pollutants that are not as 
effectively  removed  by  urban  treatment  plants.  There  was  an  increase  of  1.5%  in  the  waste 
water  generated,  compared  with  2014.  The  treatment  capacity  of  existing  treatment  plants 
(783 million p.e.) is higher than the waste water load currently generated, to  enable them to 
cope  with  variations  in  the  load  entering  the  plant  and  to  accommodate  greater  needs  in 
future. 

Nearly 90% of the EU’s waste water load is generated by agglomerations >10,000 p.e.; half 
comes  from  big  cities  (52%  from  agglomerations  >100,000  p.e.).  This  may  lead  Member 
States  to  focus  their  investments  on  non-compliant  waste  water  infrastructure  in  bigger 
agglomerations (>10,000 p.e.). 

2.1  Trends in compliance 

Since UWWTD’s adoption, significant progress has been made in its implementation and  in 
rates of compliance with Articles 3, 4 and 5. 

Fig 2 - Historical trends in rates of compliance with Articles 3, 4 and 5 (1998-2016) 

In  recent  years,  the  compliance  level  has  stabilised.  In  2016  the  rate  of  compliance  with 
Article 3 remained at the same level as in 2014, while the rate for Article 4 fell by 1% and the 
rate for Article 5 rose by 1%. The 2016 data give a more complete overview than the 2014 
data because a number of Member States (e.g. Poland, Hungary and Slovenia) reached their 
final deadlines in 2016. More data were thus taken into account in calculating the compliance 
rate. 

The compliance rate values for Articles 3, 4 and 5 are combined to give a single number. The 
overall compliance rate for the EU increased and it was 81% in 2016. 

5 

 
 
 
Fig  3  –  Rate  of  compliance  with  UWWTD  in  the  EU,  2012-2016  [percentage  of  waste  water  load  in 
agglomerations that met the standards in the year concerned] *2012 column shows 2010-2012 data 

3 

IMPLEMENTATION STATUS - DISTANCE TO TARGET 

The  ‘distance  to  target’  is  an  indicator  showing  the  scale  of  efforts  still needed  to  meet  the 
standards laid down in UWWTD. 

3.1  Collection of waste water 

  1% of the waste water load (approximately 6.6 million p.e.) remains to be collected.  

In  2016,  in  the  EU11,  nearly  6,605,000 p.e.  of  the  waste  water  generated  by  compliant  and 
non-compliant agglomerations was not collected. The figure below shows that the distance to 
target is quite small.  

11 Member States and the UK, which was a Member State in the reporting period. 

6 

 
 
 
                                                 
Fig 4 - Distance to target for waste water collection in the EU, 2012-2016 [percentage of waste water load in all 
agglomerations. This load did not meet the criteria for compliance in the year concerned.] 

Figure  4  does  not  show  the  full  picture  because  over  8,300,000 p.e.  was  excluded  from  the 
calculation  of  distance  to  target  for  collection,  this  being  the  waste  water  load  subject  to 
pending deadlines in 2016.12 

3.1.1 

Individual systems or other appropriate systems  

Both the REFIT evaluation and data reported by the Member States under the WFD indicate 
that  in  many  areas  non-centralised  sanitation  systems  (known  as  IAS13)  place  considerable 
pressure  on  bodies  of  water.  The  Commission  is  investigating  whether  the  conditions  for 
operating  these  systems  (registration,  permits,  monitoring  and  inspections)  are  met  in  those 
Member States that make extensive use of them.14  

The figure below shows which Member States use IAS: 

  Poland, Hungary, Slovakia, Slovenia, Greece, Bulgaria, Czechia and Latvia reported that 

over 5% of waste water is collected and/or treated by IAS. 

  Poland,  Hungary,  Greece,  Italy  and  Germany  reported  that  the  load  collected  and/or 

treated by IAS exceeded 1 million p.e. 

12 It refers to transitional periods applied to sensitive areas recently designated.  

13 Art. 3: Where the establishment of a general collecting system is not justified either because it would produce 
no environmental benefit or because it would involve excessive cost, individual systems or other appropriate 
systems which achieve the same level of environmental protection shall be used. 

14 The Commission sent letters of formal notice to Member States that make extensive use of IAS to ask whether 

they have introduced a legal obligation to connect to sewerage networks, where this is feasible. 

7 

 
 
 
                                                 
Fig 5 – The use of IAS in Member States in 2016 [waste water load of all agglomerations in each Member State 
expressed in million p.e. and in percent of the total generated] 

3.2  Secondary or biological treatment 

  6% of the collected waste water load (approximately  37 million p.e.) must still undergo 

secondary treatment in line with the requirements of UWWTD. 

Member  States  must  provide  secondary  treatment15  for  all  agglomerations  >10,000  p.e.  and 
agglomerations  >2,000  p.e.  that  discharge  to  freshwater  and  estuaries.  In  2016,  over 
37,116,000 p.e. of the waste water collected by compliant and non-compliant agglomerations 
in the EU was not subject to secondary treatment and/or did not yet meet the requirements for 
discharge laid down in UWWTD.  

15  Secondary  treatment  supplements  the  elimination  of  solid  matter  (primary  treatment)  by  breaking  down  

organic substances using bacteria. 

8 

0.6%0%8%3%6%2%0%3%10%1.1%0%0%11%4%4%3%4%5%0%0%6%0%1.3%0%5%15%0.5%0500,0001,000,0001,500,0002,000,0002,500,0003,000,0003,500,000ATBEBGCYCZDEDKEEELESFIFRHRHUIEITLTLULVMTNLPLPTROSESISKUKWaste water load [Million p.e.] 
 
 
                                                 
Fig 6 - Distance to target for secondary treatment in the EU, 2012-2016 [percentage of waste water load of all 
agglomerations. This load did not meet the criteria for compliance in the year concerned.] 

The distance to target misses 300,000 p.e. which was excluded from the calculations, as it was 
still subject to pending deadlines in 2016. Moreover, the waste water that was not  collected 
was  not  treated  or  taken  into  account  in  calculating  the  distance  to  target  for  secondary 
treatment. 

3.3  More stringent or tertiary treatment 

  8%  of  the  collected  waste  water  load  (almost  32  million p.e.)  must  still  undergo  more 

stringent treatment in line with the requirements of UWWTD16. 

Member States must generally provide more stringent treatment17 for agglomerations >10,000 
p.e.  that  discharge  to  designated  sensitive  areas  and  their  catchments.  In  2016,  nearly 
31,780,000  p.e.  of  the  waste  water  load  collected  by  all  agglomerations  in  the  EU  was  not 
subject  to  more  stringent  treatment  and/or  fell  short  of  the  requirements  for  discharge  laid 
down in UWWTD.  

16  SWD(2019)701  indicates  a  7%  distance  to  target.  Clarification  e.g.  by  Cyprus  after  the  publication  of 

SWD(2019)701 evaluation increased the percentage by app 1%. 

17  More  stringent  treatment  involves  the  removal  of  phosphorus  or  nitrogen  (nutrients)  to  protect  waters 

threatened by eutrophication. It can also involve disinfection to protect bathing or shellfish waters. 

9 

 
 
 
                                                 
Fig 7 - Distance to target for more stringent treatment in the EU, 2012-2016 [percentage of waste water load of 
all agglomerations. This load did not meet the criteria for compliance in the year concerned.] 

The  distance  to  target  does  not  show  the  full  picture  because  nearly  6,300,000 p.e.  was 
excluded from  the  calculations as it was still under pending deadlines. Moreover, the waste 
water that was not collected was not treated or taken into account in calculating the distance 
to target for more stringent treatment either. 

3.3.1  Designation of sensitive areas by Member States 

In a quarter of EU territory (24%), more stringent treatment is not required. Whether there is a 
need for more stringent treatment (i.e. whether the area is sensitive) is determined at national 
level.  UWWTD  states  that  the  required  level  of  treatment  depends  on  the  sensitivity  of  the 
body of water into which waste water is discharged. As the map below shows, some countries 
designate  their  entire  territory  as  sensitive  (green,  blue  and  purple),  while  others  have 
identified only a few sensitive areas (shown as green patches in yellow areas of the map). 

10 

 
 
 
Fig 8 - Overview of sensitive areas and catchments of sensitive areas in the EU in 2016.  

Article 5(2-3): more stringent treatment in agglomerations > 10,000 p.e. 
Article 5(4): 75% removal of nitrogen and phosphorus 
Article 5(8): more stringent treatment applies to whole country 

11 

 
 
 
 
4  NATIONAL PROGRAMMES FOR IMPLEMENTATION 

This section summarises the information reported by the Member States under Article 17 of 
the UWWTD on the forecast cost of investment in reaching compliance with UWWTD and 
the  expected  cost  of  investment  in  installing  and  renewing  waste  water  collection  and 
treatment infrastructure.  

Total  investment  needs  to  ensure  compliance  with  UWWTD,  as  estimated  by  national 
authorities18  and  included  in  their  national  plans,  come  to  nearly  EUR 229 billion.  This 
covers  work  on  treatment  plants  (over  EUR 166 billion  forecast)  and  on  collecting  systems 
(nearly  EUR 63 billion  forecast).  By  way  of  a  comparison,  the  OECD  estimates  that  EU 
countries will need to spend an additional EUR 253 billion between 2020 and 2030 to attain 
full compliance with UWWTD and maintain it19. 

The  ‘investment  needs’  by  definition  cover  non-compliant  agglomerations  only  and  take 
account  neither  of  operational  costs  nor  of  the  costs  of  maintaining  infrastructure  in  good 
condition so as to remain in compliance with UWWTD. The number of years covered by this 
forecast differs from one country to another. 

Unlike the ‘investment needs’ described above, the ‘expected investment costs’ by definition 
are  an  estimate  of  future  investments  and  include  the  expected  costs  of  maintaining 
infrastructure in  a  good  state so that it remains  compliant. The number of  years covered by 
this  forecast  differs  from  one  country  to  another.  Figure  7  shows  that  only  two  countries 
expect to invest over EUR 100 per capita annually. Most countries report that they expect to 
invest an annual amount of under EUR 40 per capita. Figure 7 should be treated with caution, 
as  not  all  Member  States  include  all  investment  and  maintenance  costs  in  the  reports  under 
Article  17.  Moreover,  the  period  on  which  they  report  for  the  forecast  differs  from  one 
country to another: Belgium reported on 2009-2017, whereas Czechia’s report covers 2016-
2017.  The  size  of  the  country  may  also  affect  the  numbers  in  Figure  7:  Luxembourg’s 
investments appear largest here, but this may be attributable to one large planned investment 
in a small country. 

18 27 Member States and the UK, which was a Member State in the reporting period.  

19OECD,  Estimating  investment  needs  and  financing  capacities  for  water-related  investment  in  EU  member 

countries: https://ec.europa.eu/environment/water/water-framework/economics/OECD_study_en.htm 

12 

 
 
                                                 
Fig  –  9  Member  States’  programmes  for  implementation  –  expected  annual  investment  costs  per  capita  for 
installing and renewing waste water collecting systems and treatment plants [EUR/inhabitant/year] 

Note: Germany and Hungary did not provide any data on expected investments. 
The orange line running across the graph is the average annual expected investment cost in the EU.  

5  PROMOTING COMPLIANCE 

5.1  Funding and financing investments 

The  Commission  has  set  up  several  initiatives  to  support  efforts  to  comply  in  full  with  the 
UWWTD.  They  include  initiatives  to  improve  the  planning  of  investments  (e.g.  an  OECD 
study  providing  comparable  data  on  financing  strategies  and  investment  needs)  and  EU 
cohesion  policy  funding  (the  proposed  2021  –  2027  cohesion  policy  is  closely  linked  to 
national investment planning for sustainable water management). 

5.1.1  Financing strategies  

The  OECD  has  made  recommendations  to  address  financing  challenges  in  Member  States 
with a limited financing capacity and high investment needs. These include making better use 
of  existing  assets  and  financial  resources,  minimising  investment  needs,  and  harnessing 
additional sources of finance20.  

20  Chapter  5  of  the  OECD  study,  Estimating  investment  needs  and  financing  capacities  for  water-related 
https://ec.europa.eu/environment/water/water-
countries: 

member 

in 

investment 
framework/economics/OECD_study_en.htm 

EU 

13 

 
 
 
 
                                                 
The  OECD  has  projected  the  overall  investment  needed  to  reach  compliance  with  the 
UWWTD. Below is a comparative overview presenting cumulative additional expenditures by 
2030 for water supply and for sanitation per capita, combining three scenarios: 

  business as usual (driven by urbanisation), 
  compliance  with  the  Drinking  Water  Directive  (DWD)  and  the  Urban  Waste  Water 

Treatment Directive (UWWTD), and 

  efficiency (reduction of leakage in water supply).  

The  investment  required  to  reach  full  compliance  with  the  UWWTD  for  the  27  Member 
States and the UK comes to a cumulative additional total of EUR 253 billion between 2020 
and 2030. 

BAU + compliance + efficiency (EUR) 

Source: OECD analysis based on European Commission and Eurostat data. 

Explanation of scenarios: 
 
 
 

the BAU scenario (business-as-usual) captures what should be spent by 2030 with population growth  
the WS scenario (water supply) captures what should be spent by 2030 to meet the requirements of the recast DWD  
the WW scenario (waste water) captures what should be spent by 2030 to meet the requirements of the UWWTD 

Fig  –  10  Additional  expenditures  by  2030  per  capita  for  waste  water  (ww)  and  drinking  water  systems  (ws) 
[EUR/inhabitant] Source: OECD (2020) 

Figure  9  shows  that  investing  in  waste  water  infrastructure  to  reach  compliance  with  the 
UWWTD  accounts  for  the  largest  share  of  total  additional  expenditure.  Additional  
expenditure per capita ranges from EUR 500 to EUR 1,000 for water supply and sanitation.  

14 

 
 
 
 
Summarising,  it  was  found  that  current  spending  in  many  Member  States  is  too  low  to 
reach compliance and to maintain it in the long term. 

5.1.2  EU funding 

European  funds,  in  particular  the  European  Regional  Development  Fund  and  the  Cohesion 
Fund, have a role to play in developing waste water infrastructure where Member States lack 
sufficient means to invest in their waste water sector. For the 2014-2020, Member States have 
allocated  EUR  15,4  billion  of  the  cohesion  policy  funds  to  water  management.  The  largest 
share  of  the  planned  budget  (about  EUR  10,8  billion)  goes  on  waste  water  treatment, 
including building or upgrading plants and sewerage networks, with some funding also going 
to sludge management.21 In 2014-2020, Member States are expected to connect 17,7 million 
people  to  new  or  upgraded  waste  water  treatment  facilities.22  This  support  leverages 
additional  national  and  private  funding  and  is  complemented  by  other  EU  funding  sources, 
such  as  LIFE  and  Horizon  2020.  With  the  total  contribution  of  over  EUR  300  million  over 
2014-2018, Horizon 2020 and LIFE co-funded over 70 research and innovation projects to do 
with waste water. 23 

For  the  2021-2027  cohesion  policy  funds,  the  Commission  proposed  national  investment 
plans  as  a  precondition  for  funding,  to  ensure  that  resources  are  used  in  the  most  effective 
way. 

5.2  Legal enforcement 

Most  of  the  non-compliant  agglomerations  identified  in  the  implementation  reports  are 
covered  by  infringement  cases.  The  Commission  systematically  pursues  cases  in  which 
UWWTD has been poorly or wrongly applied. For countries which joined the EU in 2004 or 
later,  cases  were  launched  in  2016-2018  and  are  in  progress,  with  some  Member  States 
(Latvia and Lithuania) close to compliance and one case (Cyprus) before the Court of Justice. 
Cases corresponding to the deadlines that expired in 2014 and 2015 will also be launched. In 
parallel, older cases have reached the Court of Justice for a second judgment. The Court has 
issued six judgments, three of which imposed fines and penalty payments on Member States24 
of  up  to  EUR  25  million  (as  a  lump  sum)  and  approximately  EUR  30  million  as  a  penalty 
payment every six months.  

6 

IMPACT ON THE WATER ENVIRONMENT  

UWWTD  plays  a  key  role  in  sustaining  the  overall  resilience  of  aquatic  ecosystems  and 
protects their biodiversity, essential for achieving the objectives of the WFD. Over the past 30 
years, progress in implementing the UWWTD has done much to improve the quality of rivers, 

21 European Structural and Investment Funds:  https://cohesiondata.ec.europa.eu/EU-Level/ESIF-Categorisation-
https://ec.europa.eu/regional_policy/en/policy/what/key-

and 

Intervention-Fields-with-filte/8m22-gy44 
achievements/ 

22 

European 

Structural 

and 

Investment 

Funds, 

common 

indicators, 

2014-2020: 

https://cohesiondata.ec.europa.eu/stories/s/4ij4-23vs. 

23 EASME internal data provided in 2019 to ENV.C.2 

24 C-205/17 (25.7.2018) Com v. Spain, C-251/17 (31.5.2018) Com v. Italy, C-328/16 (22.2.2018) Com v. Greece 

15 

 
 
 
                                                 
lakes and seas. The figure below, for example, models a reduction in loads reaching bodies of 
water that can be attributed to the implementation of the UWWTD.25 

Fig 11 - Reduction of BOD loads (tonnes/year) in treated waste water.  

7  CONCLUSIONS 

With this report, the Commission concludes that the collection and treatment of urban waste 
water  in  the  EU  has  improved.  Collecting  and  treating  waste  water  in  accordance  with  the 
UWWTD is an essential step on the way to achieving the objectives of the Water Framework 
Directive.  

However,  there  is  still  some  way  to  go  to  achieve  full  compliance  with  UWWTD.  The 
implementation of this Directive requires ongoing commitment from the Member States, with 
improved planning of investments, including forward-looking plans for the renewal of waste 
water  infrastructure.  The  Commission  has  set  up  several  initiatives  to  help  Member  States 
achieve compliance. 

Finance  and  planning  remain  the  main  challenges  facing  the  water  service  sector.  Current 
investment  in  many  Member  States  has  been  found  to  be  too  low  to  reach  and  maintain 
compliance in the long term.  

The  Commission  has  evaluated  UWWTD26  and  has  now  launched  an  impact  assessment  to  
assess policy options to make UWWTD fit for future. 

25  Evaluation 

of 

the  UWWTD 

(SWD(2019)701): 

https://ec.europa.eu/environment/water/water-

urbanwaste/pdf/UWWTD%20Evaluation%20SWD%20448-701%20web.pdf 

26  Including  the  Recovery  Plan  for  Europe:  https://ec.europa.eu/info/live-work-travel-eu/health/coronavirus-

response/recovery-plan-europe  

16