Welcome to the European Parliamentary Research Service podcasts.

The European Union is revamping its rules on the treatment of urban wastewater to better

protect the health of citizens and the environment, and to better align them with its climate

neutrality and circularity objectives. Want to know more? Stay with us.

Urban waste water. Objectives. Want to know more? Stay with us. Urban wastewater is one of the main sources of water pollution if it is not collected and treated

properly. It is full of viruses and bacteria, fats and oils, solvents, detergents,

microplastics, metals and plenty of other substances

discharged from homes and industry.

That's why already 30 years ago the EU adopted common rules for the treatment of urban

wastewater, establishing common requirements regarding infrastructure, treatment standards and

monitoring systems across the EU.

Thanks to these rules and their application by EU countries, the quality of our rivers, lakes and seas has greatly improved.

Yet pollution problems remain, which are not covered by the current rules.

This includes pollution from smaller cities that fall outside their scope,

micropollutants such as residues from pharmaceuticals and cosmetics that are also not covered,

and new challenges stemming from climate change, such as more frequent storm water overflows

and urban runoff. There is also untapped potential regarding the production of renewable energy

and the recovery of nutrients and other resources from wastewater and sludge.

And let's not forget that wastewater treatment is also one of the biggest consumers of energy

in the public sector.

That's right. So it's time to revamp the old rules.

Now, what is the European Commission proposing exactly?

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