Water

Why protecting water is key

The importance of water for life on Earth cannot be overstated. Healthy water is essential for every living organism on the planet, and vital for the functioning and preservation of the natural environment. 

Economic activity and growth depend on the availability of clean water, which is used in production processes, in growing food and in many other human activities. 

However, clean water cannot be taken for granted as water is a limited resource. Only 3% of all water on Earth is freshwater and suitable for human use.

Water scarcity is a real issue in many parts of the world. Extreme droughts and floods generated by climate change further impact the availability of water resources.

In addition to climate change, pollution and over-exploitation of resources put rivers, lakes and other water bodies under pressure.

EU rules on water quality and use

The EU has put in place rules to protect water. The main piece of legislation in water protection is the EU water framework directive. Other rules concern specific provisions such as for drinking and bathing water. 

The ultimate goal of EU water policy is to contribute to achieving a zero-pollution environment by 2050.

Water framework directive

The EU water framework directive is the cornerstone of EU water policy. Its goal is to make good quality and sufficient water available to people.  

Through the directive, EU countries are required to:

• protect and if necessary restore water bodies so they reach a good status
• prevent the deterioration of water ecosystems

The water framework directive is supported by two additional directives focused on groundwater and surface water.

• Safeguarding water quality: Council signs off on stricter protection rules for surface water and groundwater (press release, 17 February 2026)
• Council pushes for a holistic water strategy to safeguard water resources and boost resilience (press release, 21 October 2025)
• Water pollution: Council and Parliament reach provisional deal to update priority substances in surface and ground waters (press release, 23 September 2025)
• Surface water and groundwater: Council agrees negotiating mandate to update list of pollutants (press release, 19 June 2024)
• Water framework directive (European Commission)

Drinking water

The EU has had measures in place for over 30 years to ensure that tap water anywhere in the EU is safe to drink and human health is protected.

The main provisions include:

• setting quality standards for drinking water
• securing, monitoring and enforcing rules
• improving access to water

A revised version of the drinking water directive was adopted in 2020. Its main goals were to update water quality standards and introduce a risk-based approach to the monitoring of water.

• Safe and clean drinking water: Council adopts strict minimum quality standards (press release, 23 October 2020)
• Drinking water (European Commission)

Wastewater treatment

If not properly treated, wastewater can be a major cause of water pollution, which impacts human health and the environment.

EU rules concern the collection, treatment and discharge of wastewater in urban areas and aim to reduce pollution and protect human health and the environment.

In 2024, the rules were revised so as to extend the application of the urban wastewater treatment directive to more urban areas and cover more pollutants.

Bathing water

EU bathing water legislation has the objective of making bathing water clean and high-quality across the EU. In addition, it aims to better inform citizens about the quality of their bathing waters.

Over 95% of bathing water sites in the EU meet water quality standards.

The improvement of bathing water quality in recent decades is a result of the EU rules on bathing water, as well as other measures including those on wastewater treatment. 

• Bathing water (European Commission)