NGOs urge European Commission to not reopen the Water Framework Directive
-
Advocacy
-
Rivers and Lakes
In our joint letter sent to Ursula von der Leyen by the Living Rivers Europe coalition, which includes the European Environmental Bureau, WWF European Policy Office, The Nature Conservancy in Europe and the European Anglers Alliance, we address our concerns about the proposed review of the EU’s Water Framework Directive (WFD), the EU’s main water protection law.
The letter highlights procedural shortcomings, including departures from the Better Regulation Framework, lack of transparency, and unbalanced stakeholder participation. It also notes that the European Commission’s own evidence, including the 2020 fitness check, found the Water Framework Directive to be fit for purpose, while recent consultations show strong opposition to reopening it.
We call on the European Commission to:
- Reconsider revising the WFD in the absence of supporting evidence
- Use established, inclusive consultation platforms such as the WFD Common Implementation Strategy
- Take into account the broad evidence and public support for maintaining strong water protections
