Motion for a Resolution by the Committee on Environment, Public Health and Food Safety (ENVI)

Flowing Forward: Despite the Water Framework Directive’s inception in 2000 with the aim of achieving good ecological and chemical status for European water bodies, 60% of EU water bodies failed to meet that target as of 2019. Keeping in mind the importance of a reliable and sustainable supply of water, how can the EU enhance enforcement mechanisms and collaboration between Member States to ensure the directive’s effectiveness in sustainable water management?
Submitted by: Junya Peeters (NL), Florian Blok (NL), Ruben Noordam (NL), Rena Mishima (NL), Thies Reede (NL), Leonard Hendriks (NL), Eline Dijkman (NL), Yasmin Mahmmod (NL), Melina Evangelia Kalousi (GR), Anastasia Schoonderwoerd (NL) and Harut Mirzakhanyan (Chairperson, AM)

The European Youth Parliament aims to increase the effectiveness of the Water Framework Directive (WFD) in order to preserve and better the ecological, quantitative, and chemical statuses of EU water bodies. Furthermore, it aspires to improve on the shortcomings of the WFD in the past related to its failure to preserve essential wildlife and the European aquatic ecosystems and to avert irreversible damage to the EU waters.

The above is decided upon because

The deadline to reach a good status¹ by the year 2027 created by the WFD can not be achieved,
The lack of communication between various bodies of the EU and Member States causes discrepancies between the Member States’ enforcement of the WFD,
Member States are not properly creating and enforcing River Basin Management Plans (RBMPs)² for river basins,
Sampling, chemical analysis, and assessment of measured pesticide concentrations of the WFD are often insufficient, which leads to an incomplete list of pesticides,
The WFD lacks explicit legal obligations for individual hydropower operators regarding permit updates and environmental harm accountability,
The challenges brought by climate change are currently poorly integrated into the WFD, leaving out any clarification as to how climate change can be fought through the directive,
The main cause of failure in achieving good quantitative status of EU waters is excessive water abstraction, causing groundwater depletion³ in multiple Member States,
Contamination of groundwaters with pesticides, insecticides, and herbicides poses numerous threats to the natural environment,
Water bodies are being polluted by chemicals dumped in them by major industrial manufacturers,
The scale of most restoration projects of river ecosystems to date has been too limited in scope to achieve notable environmental improvements, causing harm to marine life,
In Europe, around 25% of water is lost due to leaks in water pipes, which means it escapes from the system before reaching consumers.

To that end, the European Youth Parliament

Urges Member States to further develop RBMPs by:
1. funding salaries of experts assisting the creation of RBMPs and making these expert services available to Member States in need of intellectual support in the area,
2. introducing specific fines in the WFD for failing to develop and enforce RBMPs by 2027;
Calls upon the Directorate-General for Environment (DG ENV) to adjust legislation contradicting the WFD to ensure a unified approach and cohesive implementation with common and concise goals;
Asks the Council of the European Union to pass the proposal of the European Commission to revise the lists of pollutants in surface water and groundwater that was proposed in 2022;
Invites the DG ENV to implement a yearly permit for hydropower companies that are in line with the current environmental values;
Urges the Environmental Council to amend the WFD and its daughter directives in order to integrate challenges related to climate change by:
1. calling upon Member States to keep in mind the future effects of climate change in sovereign territories when developing RBMPs for these areas,
2. encouraging the Environmental Council to collaborate with the Directorate-General for Climate Action (DG CLIMA) to add Articles to the WFD that guide Member States in developing climate change-oriented RBMPs;
Calls upon the Directorate-General for Agriculture and Rural Development (DG AGRI) to encourage agriculturists to invest in methods about how to use abstracted water efficiently;
Encourages Member States to revise, revoke or adjust outdated and unused licences that allow private and public institutions to abstract groundwater in destructive manners;
Urges the European Environmental Agency (EEA) to further invest resources into research and development on innovative water management technologies in the fields of chemistry, engineering, and biology;
Urges Member States to minimise the use of harmful pesticides, insecticides, and herbicides by:
1. compelling farmers and crop growers to reject the method of monoculturing and instead adopt practices of companion-planting⁴ while including the farmers’ needs in the process,
2. instructing relevant national Ministries to develop a tax policy disadvantaging agriculturists to utilise harmful substances and also, subsidises the usage of alternatives for harmful pesticides;
Further recommends the EEA to create a centralised collaborative database in which scientific knowledge and research around the WFD would be included, enabling the execution of:
1. quality collaboration between researchers in the EU,
2. an increased amount of water sampling (12 to 26 samples per year),
3. universal knowledge of new research techniques and strategies;
Invites major industrial manufacturers to practise sustainable treatments of chemical waste;
Welcomes the fact that the European Parliament voted in favour of stricter sanctions for those found guilty of environmental crimes;
Asks Member States with a history of unsuccessful restoration projects to seek help from countries that have successfully implemented similar projects, such as the Loire Basin in France;
Calls upon the European Commission to fund Member States with outdated pipe systems to ensure they have access to modern technology and can renovate aforementioned systems.

Lastly, the European Youth Parliament recommends participants to

Take action in gathering and sustaining knowledge of the current Articles and standards stated in the WFD and RBMPs;
Actively participate in local projects concerning the quantity and quality of water, such as Project WET, and get involved in the development of RBMPs in their surroundings;
Avoid the excessive consumption of animal-based products and clothing to reduce indirect waste of surface waters and groundwater;
Abstain from using harmful pesticides on their private properties and instead invest in ecologically friendly alternatives, such as Organifer^TM;
Minimise domestic water usage, especially by reducing water spent on showering and watering private property.

Good status within the Water Framework Directive (WFD) refers to achieving both good ecological and good chemical conditions in water bodies, ensuring a healthy aquatic environment and safe water quality. ↩︎
River Basin Management Plans (RBMPs) are strategic frameworks developed by Member States to manage and protect water resources within river basins, ensuring sustainable use and compliance with environmental regulations. ↩︎
Groundwater depletion is the gradual reduction of water stored in underground aquifers due to excessive withdrawal for agricultural, industrial, and domestic use, surpassing the natural replenishment rate. ↩︎
Companion planting is a gardening technique that involves growing complementary plants together to enhance growth, deter pests, and improve crop yields through natural synergy. ↩︎