AQUATIC PLASTIC project contributes to the future of EU water policy

Yesterday marked the close of the European Commission’s official feedback period on the targeted revision of EU water legislation. Through its partner, the Hungarian Association of Environmental Enterprises (HAEE), acting as a member of the European Water Association, the AQUATIC PLASTIC project submitted a position paper on the implementation of the EU Water Framework Directive.
The position paper is grounded in results from bottom-up stakeholder roundtable events held across 9 partner countriesof the project. We value the opportunity to contribute practical, evidence-based input to the ongoing policy reflection on Europe’s water future.
The document is largely based on the practical experience and evidence gathered within the Interreg AQUATIC PLASTIC project^[1] by 9 countries and 13 partners, with a particular focus on the interface between water and waste management, pollution prevention, and circular economy approaches. The other input source is the HAEE’s Water Management Working Group’s^[2] technical opinion (Chapter II.) on the WFD.

The findings presented here synthesise inputs collected through a structured process that included national expert roundtables in nine countries and targeted professional questionnaires addressed to key stakeholders from the water, waste, policy, and research sectors. These consultations enabled the identification of recurrent implementation challenges, data gaps, and emerging priorities relevant to achieving the objectives of the Water Framework Directive.