AQUATIC PLASTIC Contributes to EU Water Policy Review

The AQUATIC PLASTIC project has made a formal contribution to the ongoing revision of EU water legislation, submitting a position paper on the implementation of the EU Water Framework Directive (WFD) ahead of the European Commission's official feedback deadline.

The submission was made through the project's partner, the Hungarian Association of Environmental Enterprises (HAEE), acting in its capacity as a member of the European Water Association (EWA).

The position paper draws on findings from bottom-up stakeholder roundtable events held across nine partner countries involved in the AQUATIC PLASTIC project. These consultations brought together a wide range of actors from the Danube region to discuss practical challenges and opportunities related to the management of aquatic environments and the implementation of existing EU water policy frameworks.

By channelling insights gathered at the grassroots level into a formal policy submission, the project demonstrates its commitment to translating field experience into evidence-based input for European decision-making processes.

The EU Water Framework Directive, first adopted in 2000, sets the legal framework for the protection of inland surface waters, transitional waters, coastal waters, and groundwater across EU member states. The targeted revision currently under way by the European Commission aims to modernise and strengthen the directive in light of evolving environmental challenges, including pollution from plastic waste in aquatic ecosystems — a central concern of the AQUATIC PLASTIC project.

The full position paper, prepared by HAEE on behalf of the EWA and informed by the project's stakeholder process, is available for download.