To support the European Commission's extension of the list of priority substances, as well as the new proposed watch list mechanism as a measure for improving the protection of water resources in the EU.
Member States shall report the results of the monitoring to the Commission within 24, not 18 months.
Member States should bring into force the laws, regulations and administrative provisions necessary to comply with the Directive within 24 and not 12 months after the adoption of this Directive.
The final Directive of 12 August 2013 reflects to a large extent the amendments proposed by the CoR Opinion - in comparison to the initial proposal, it now:
• provides that Member States shall implement the EQS laid down in Part A of Annex I as regards the newly identified substances numbered 34 to 45 in Part A of Annex I, with effect from 22 December 2018, with the aim of achieving good surface water chemical status in relation to those substances by 22 December 2027 (the CoR called however for this extension of deadlines also for other substances, and only with the effect from 2021);
• extends the deadlines for setting up monitoring stations for substances in the watch list;
• provides more flexibility in defining the numbers of monitoring stations for substances in the watch list and refers to use patterns as a criterion for selecting the representative monitoring stations, the monitoring frequency and timing for each substance in the watch list;
• extends the deadline for Member States to report to the Commission the results of the monitoring carried out on substances in the watch list;
• extends the deadline for Member States to bring into force their laws, regulations and administrative provisions necessary to comply with the Directive.
THE COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS
- welcomes the European Commission's proposal to increase the list of priority substances in the field of water policy and believes that to meet the objectives of the proposal, it is essential to include pharmaceutical substances in the list of priority substances and priority hazardous substances or at least to consider this;
- asks the relevant departments of the European Commission to examine the authorisation of the pharmaceutical substances without delay and to make a recommendation on their use on the EU market; considers it important that reducing the impact on the environment already be taken into account when manufacturing, and authorizing pharmaceutical substances; notes that steps must be taken to ensure that monitoring measures for local and regional authorities are cost-effective;
- requests to extend the deadline for Member States to comply with the Directive to 24 months after its adoption, in order to allow for an accurate assessment of the effects of the national legislation, and to spread the costs incurred for local and regional authorities over a longer period;
- requests that the Member States shall apply the EQS for substances 2, 5, 15, 20, 22, 23, 28 and 34 to 48 beginning with the revision of the RBMP only in 2021, with the objective of achieving a good chemical status for these substances by 2027;
- recognises the need for Member States to monitor the substances on the watch list, but considers that it would be appropriate to begin to do so within at least 12 months from the inclusion of a substance on the watch list, to give enough time for preparation; Member States may also cooperate across borders in monitoring the substances in the watch list;
- stresses the importance of allowing access to information on hazardous substances and ensuring transparency in this area; believes that the public should be informed about the status of the aquatic environment and the measures planned for its improvement.