The new law defines minimum quality standards for reclaimed water to be used for agricultural irrigation.
It also sets out obligations for production, distribution and storage operators, as well as risk management measures.
Reclaimed water (i.e. urban wastewater that has been treated in a reclamation plant) will be used to irrigate food crops, processed food crops and non-food crops.
The Commission will have to assess within five years whether reclaimed water can be used in other ways.
“We must move towards a circular economy, also in the way we use and re-use water”, said rapporteur Simona Bonafè (S&D, IT).
“We could potentially reuse 6.6 billion cubic metres of water by 2025, compared to the current 1.1 billion cubic metres per year.
The draft legislation was adopted with 588 votes to 23 and 66 abstentions.
Negotiations with EU ministers will start after Council sets its own position.
Ensuring that treated wastewater is more broadly reused could limit extraction from water bodies and groundwater.
Water over-abstraction, in particular for agricultural irrigation, but also for industrial use and urban development, is one of the main threats to the EU water environment.