• Progress on improving water quality has been slow

• Harmonising nitrates measuring, agricultural innovation needed

• Commission should propose a regulation on nitrates to replace current directive
   

EU policy should consistently protect bodies of water from nutrient pollution, which is still prevalent in many European regions, argue MEPs in a resolution.

In a resolution passed with 30 in favour and 4 abstaining (no votes against), the Committee on Petitions notes the damage done to water quality in the EU by excessive amounts of nitrates, and proposes stronger enforcement of EU law as well as agricultural innovations as a solution.

Nitrates, for example nitrogen and phosphorus coming from fertilisers and livestock manure, are one of the main reasons for water pollution in the EU, notes the committee. Although the EU’s Nitrates Directive was adopted in 1991 to reverse eutrophication, or the excessive build-up of certain nutrients in bodies of water, poor enforcement and lack of member state action have meant that water quality in the EU has only improved slowly, say MEPs.

MEPs urge the Commission to step up its enforcement efforts of the directive, and to communicate them transparently to citizens. Water protection measures should be based on actual water quality data, not theoretical models, they argue. MEPs also call for harmonizing the measurement and assessment of nutrient pollution in different member states to ensure that the data is comparable. The Committee on Petitions calls on the Commission to adopt a regulation instead of a directive to ensure uniform application within the EU.

Nutrient pollution could also be tackled by better wastewater processing and innovative agricultural methods, for example recovering nitrogen from manure, say MEPs. They want the agrifood sector to cut inefficiencies that lead to excessive use of water, fertilisers and pesticides. To make agriculture more sustainable, agricultural producers should make use of all of the EU's support mechanisms: relevant parts of the Common Agricultural Policy, structural funds, and programmes such as LIFE.
 

Background
In 2016 - 2019, 14.1% of groundwater across Member States exceeded the nitrate concentration limit set for drinking water. Water reported as eutrophic in the EU includes 81% of marine waters, 31% of coastal waters, 36% of rivers and 32% of lakes. In the same time period, ten member states had ongoing infringement cases for not complying with the Nitrates Directive. The European Green Deal foresees a 50 % reduction of nitrate losses by 2030.