Council adopts the revised Directive aiming to enhance efficiency and bring striker standards on waste water treatment.

On 5 November 2024, the Council gave adaopted revised EU directive on urban wastewater treatment. The revised directive extends the scope to smaller agglomerations, covers more pollutants, including micropollutants, and sets new targets on energy neutrality.

According to the revised directive, member states must collect and treat wastewater from all agglomerations above 1 000 population equivalents. To better tackle the pollution and to prevent discharges of untreated urban wastewater into the environment, all agglomerations between 1 000 and 2 000 population equivalents need to be provided with collecting systems and all sources of domestic wastewater need to be connected to these systems by 2035. The Directive also introduce an energy neutrality target, meaning that by 2045 urban wastewater treatment plants treating a load of 10 000 population equivalents and above will have to use energy from renewable sources.

For more information:

Commission Press Corner

https://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/press/press-releases/2024/11/05/urban-wastewater-council-adopts-new-rules-for-more-efficient-treatment/