APE Joins Forces with EurEau, CEMR, and SGI Europe to Safeguard the EPR in view of the vote in the European Parliament
On 25 March 2026, the European Parliament held a high-stakes plenary debate on the implementation of the Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) under the recast Urban Wastewater Treatment Directive, amid calls from some political groups for a “stop-the-clock” approach. A resolution on this topic is expected to be voted at the Plenary meeting at the end of April.
In this context, Aqua Publica Europea, together with EurEau, CEMR and SGI Europe, has co-signed a joint letter addressed to Members of the European Parliament, calling for the rejection of any initiative aimed at suspending, delaying or weakening the EPR framework (the letter is available here).
The letter stresses that the EPR is essential to ensure that the costs of quaternary treatment do not fall on households, farmers, and local businesses. We highlighted that the Directive already includes tools to protect EU competitiveness and mitigate impacts on generics.
A "stop-the-clock" approach would only trigger regulatory uncertainty, stall essential investments and potentially forcing the financial burden onto water users. Furthermore, as the Environmental Quality Standards Directive (EQSD) has already been adopted, suspending the EPR would leave municipalities solely responsible for meeting strict new water quality standards for pharmaceuticals.
