Legislation For Safer Drinking Water For All Europeans

Revised European legislation proposed by the European Commission on Thursday will improve the quality of drinking water and access to it as well as provide better information to citizens.
The right to access essential services of good quality, including water, is one of the principles of the European Pillar of Social Rights unanimously endorsed by Heads of State or Government at the Gothenburg Summit.
This will be contributing to the environmental goals of reducing unnecessary plastic use and limiting the EU’s carbon footprint, as well as to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals.
Thanks to increased transparency it will also empower consumers and push them towards more sustainable choices, for example using tap water.” Most people living in the EU enjoy very good access to high quality drinking water.
This results from long standing EU legislation protecting Europeans ensuring that they have access to high quality drinking water.
These additions take account of the latest scientific knowledge and recommendations of the World Health Organisation.
Another important change in the legislation will give the public easy, user-friendly – including online – access to information about the quality and supply of drinking water in their living area, improving confidence in tap water.
With improved confidence in tap water, citizens can also contribute to reducing plastic waste from bottled water, including marine litter.
Better management of drinking water from Member States will avoid unnecessary loss of water and contribute to lowering the CO2 footprint.
The new risk-based approach to safety will help to carry out safety checks in a more targeted manner where risks are higher.

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