5.8.2022
1.
EN
Official Journal of the European Union
C 298/3
Introduction The EU’s water resources are increasingly coming under pressure.
This is leading to water stress, when water resources are insufficient to meet the needs, and to a deterioration in water quality.
In addition, climate change, unpredictable weather patterns and drought are contributing significantly to the strain on the availability of freshwater.
Reusing reclaimed water is widely recognised as a practice that helps manage water resources more efficiently and helps adapt our systems to climate change, in line with the EU’s strategy set out in the European Green Deal (1).
Regulation (EU) 2020/741 of the European Parliament and of the Council on minimum requirements for water reuse (the Water Reuse Regulation) (2) seeks to facilitate and encourage the practice of reusing water for irrigation in agriculture, a sector that can be particularly vulnerable to scarce or intermittent water resources, making the EU food system more sustainable and resilient (3), while protecting public health and the environment.
The Water Reuse Regulation, applicable from 26 June 2023, sets uniform minimum water quality requirements for the safe reuse of treated urban waste water in agricultural irrigation.
Harmonised minimum requirements will also ensure the single market for agricultural produce works properly and should boost consumer confidence.
Under this Regulation, urban waste water treated in line with the requirements of Directive 91/271/EEC governing urban waste water treatment (the Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive) ( 4), must undergo further treatment to meet the new minimum quality parameters and become suitable for use in agriculture.
In addition to the uniform minimum requirements for water quality, the Regulation also sets out uniform minimum monitoring requirements, risk management rules to assess and address potential additional health risks and environmental risks, permitting obligations, and rules on transparency, under which key information on all water reuse projects must be made publicly available.
Article 11(5) of the Water Reuse Regulation requires the Commission, in consultation with Member States, to draw up guidelines for applying the Regulation.
This Notice sets out the guidelines.
It has been prepared in close cooperation with the Working Group on Water Reuse (5) - established under the Strategic Coordination Group for Water Policy (6) - whose membership includes Member States authorities and stakeholder organisations.
The Working Group on Water Reuse thoroughly discussed the document at two meetings on 21-22 October 2021 and 18 February 2022 and provided written comments.
Section 2 of these guidelines covers the general and administrative obligations set by the Regulation, including its scope.
Section 3 covers the more technical aspects.
2.
General and administrative obligations This Section covers the following aspects: the scope of the Regulation, and in particular the application of Article 2(2); the competent authority(ies); the contact points and cross-border cooperation; the responsibilities of different actors; permits; compliance checks; penalties; awareness raising and information sharing.
(1) Both the Circular Economy Action Plan (COM/2020/98 final) and the EU’s new climate adaptation strategy (COM/2021/82 final) refer to water reuse, as the EU’s ability to respond to the increasing pressures on water resources could be improved by wider reuse of treated waste water.
In addition to irrigation, water reuse can also be usefully applied in the industrial sector, contributing to the goals set in the Commission’s proposal for a revised Industrial Emissions Directive (COM(2022) 156 final/2).
(2) OJ L 177, 5.6.2020, p. 32.
(3) Water reuse could contribute to the goal of reducing the environmental and climate footprint of the EU food system, set out in the Farm to Fork Strategy (COM/2020/381 final).
(4) OJ L 135, 30.5.1991, p. 40, the Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive requires that treated waste water be reused whenever appropriate.
This Directive is currently under review, but the planned future legislative set up is expected to reinforce the link to the practice of water reuse.
Thus, any reference to this Directive in this Notice will in future refer to the planned revised legislation on the treatment of urban waste water.
(5) Formerly called Ad Hoc Task Group on Water Reuse, set up as a permanent Working Group in 2022.
(6) For more information on this group: https://circabc.europa.eu/ui/group/9ab5926d-bed4-4322-9aa7-9964bbe8312d/library/ 3644e20b-f5c5-46de-9d2f-3d9efb965fac?p=1&n=10&sort=modified_DESC