#PROTECTWATER © Goran Šafarek CAMPAIGNS #PROTECTWATER Campaigning to save the EU water law WWF, together with more than 130 environmental groups, campaigned tirelessly for two years to save the EU's strong water law, mobilising hundreds of thousands of citizens and scientists along the way. The #ProtectWater campaign was launched in 2018 to defend the law that protects all of the EU’s water resources - the Water Framework Directive (WFD). The European Commission had just launched an independent evaluation of the WFD, a process each piece of EU legislation undergoes to evaluate whether it is still relevant and “fit for purpose”. Some industry groups and Member States saw this as an opportunity to weaken the law’s strong elements. Urgent action was needed. Long story short: We did it! On 22 June 2020, the EU’s Commissioner for Environment, Ocean and Fisheries, Virginijus Sinkevičius, confirmed that the WFD would not be opened up for revision, underscoring the need to focus on supporting implementation and enforcement "without changing the directive". The decision came six months after the law was concluded to be “fit-for-purpose”, following the thorough two-year evaluation. This could not have been achieved without the support of hundreds of thousands of EU citizens and scientists, who used the #ProtectWater campaign to take a stand for the WFD. Your voices were heard. Your say had an impact. Next stop: 100% healthy freshwater ecosystems! Key campaign milestones VICTORY FOR #PROTECTWATER! The EU’s Commissioner for Environment, Ocean and Fisheries, Virginijus Sinkevičius, finally declares that the Water Framework Directive will not be opened up for revision, confirming the need to focus on supporting implementation and enforcement "without changing the directive". FIND OUT MORE © WWF 1234567 What citizens have to say Listen to what EU citizens and scientists had to say to their governments ahead of a critical meeting on EU Environment Ministers. Contact Claire Baffert Senior EU Policy Officer, Water +32 492 73 10 92 LATEST NEWS 26 Oct 2021 EUROPE’S RIVERS NOWHERE NEAR HEALTHY BY 2027 DEADLINE - REPORT 90% of river basins studied in various EU countries will still be unhealthy by 2027, new research reveals. This means those countries will miss the ... 15 Sep 2021 WORLD’S FIRST 5-COUNTRY BIOSPHERE RESERVE WILL BENEFIT PEOPLE AND NATURE IN EUROPE. With the world facing climate and nature crises, UNESCO’s designation today of a region that stretches across Austria, Slovenia, Croatia, Hungary and ... 08 Sep 2021 FIRST HYDROPOWER STANDARD WILL NOT STOP DAMAGE TO EUROPEAN RIVERS Launched today at the World Hydropower Congress, the new hydropower Standard is a commitment from the industry to reducing its negative impacts on ... 25 Aug 2021 RESTORING RIVERS CAN BUILD RESILIENCE AGAINST FLOODS: REPORT With Germany, Belgium and Turkey still reeling from historic floods, a new report outlines how Nature-based Solutions can help reduce the impact of ... 10 Jun 2021 MOST OF EUROPE’S RIVER BASINS WILL STILL BE UNHEALTHY BY 2027 - NEW REPORT 11 out of 13 river basins studied in various EU countries will still be unhealthy by 2027, new research reveals. This means those countries will miss ... Working to sustain the natural world for the benefit of people and nature About Us WWF in the EU Our Values Transparency & Governance Funding & partners Our Network Careers What we do Agriculture & Food Biodiversity Climate & Energy EU Affairs & Governance EU International Partnerships Forests Oceans Sustainable Economies Water Campaigns Why we campaign #Together4Forests Earth Hour Living Planet Report #ProtectWater Latest News Publications Newsletter Events Blogs Twitter Contact Us Our team Our office Privacy © 2020 WWF - World Wide Fund For Nature© 1986 Panda Symbol WWF – World Wide Fund For Nature (formerly World Wildlife Fund)® “WWF” is a WWF Registered Trademark Creative Commons license.