Provisional agreement reached on recast Drinking Water Directive

During the fith trilogue on 18 December 2019, the EU Council and the EU Parliament reached a provisional agreement on the recast Drinking Water Directive.

Interinstitutional negotiations (trilogues) for the Drinking Water Directive (DWD) began on 7 October. Led by MEP Christophe Hansen and the Finnish Presidency of the EU.

The EU Commission released a statement yesterday welcoming the provisional agreement to improve the quality of drinking water and the access to it.

Next steps

The provisional agreement is now subject to formal approval by the European Parliament and the Council. Following approval, the Directive will be published in the EU's Official Journal and enter into force 20 days later.

After that, member states have to transfer these new rules into national law within 2 years.