EU environment ministers agreed on Monday in Luxembourg to call for greater flexibility than proposed by the European Commission on the reform of the 1991 directive on urban wastewater treatment.
The ministers agreed to make the call at upcoming negotiations with the European Parliament.
The current directive sets standards for any settlement with a population of 2,000 or more, which already allows for 98% of wastewater to be collected and 92% to be treated.
The Commission is proposing to extend water treatment obligations to small municipalities of 1,000 inhabitants.
However, Member States indicated on Monday at a European Council meeting that they wished to set the bar at 1,250. They would also like to push back the deadline from 2030 to 2035, while smaller agglomerations and Member States that joined the EU after 2004 would be granted an extension.
Municipalities with more than 100,000 inhabitants would have to draw up an integrated wastewater management plan by 2035, and those with more than 10,000 inhabitants by 2040.
The reform also provides for nitrogen and phosphate recovery obligations, with exemptions if the water is recovered for agricultural use, provided it does not harm the environment or health. New standards will also apply to persistent chemical substances such as PFAS and micropollutants.
For the Spanish Presidency of the Council, this position strikes a balance between maintaining the main ambition of the text and allowing Member States flexibility in implementing the directive, while guaranteeing a high level of protection.
The Council will now negotiate with representatives of the European Parliament, which adopted its own position earlier this month.
