Drinking water quality

Question for written answer
to the Commission
Rule 130
Alfred Sant (S&D)

E-013292/2015
Subject: Drinking water quality
The technical reports on the Quality of Drinking Water in the EU available on the Commission webpage on drinking water(1) show numerous failures to meet the standards on chemical and microbiological parameters established by Council Directive 98/83/EC (the Drinking Water Directive).
In this regard:
— How is the Commission assisting Member States in ensuring that their territories’ water supplies comply fully with the Drinking Water Directive?
— How is the Commission ensuring that Member States provide a sufficient amount of data to accurately assess the drinking water situation in their territory?

Answer given by Mr Vella on behalf of the Commission (25.11.2015)

The EU Drinking Water Directive [1] is overall well implemented and shows in general compliance rates between 99-100%. Recently, the Commission has, in close consultation with Member States, updated the Directives’ Annexes II and III to give Member States an opportunity to monitor drinking water parameters based on a risk-based approach [2]. Where necessary, the Commission assists Member States with additional guidance documents as for example the Framework for Action for the management of small drinking water supplies [3].

Article 13(1) of the Directive stipulates that Member States shall take the measures necessary for ensuring that adequate and up-to-date information on the quality of water intended for human consumption is available to consumers. It is up to the Member States to decide how this information is made available by means of national, regional or local reports or databases on drinking water quality, and how the information is accessible, including through the internet or other media. The provision of information to consumers should be distinguished from reporting to the Commission. The retrospective three-yearly reporting as described in Article 13(2)-(6) goes beyond quality information and covers compliance problems, their causes and remedial actions. Although data is reported only at three-year intervals, the reporting ensures that Member States have a system in place to control drinking water supply zones. The Directive and its information requirements are currently undergoing an evaluation under the Commission’s Regulatory Fitness and Performance Programme (REFIT).

1.Council Directive 98/83/EC of 3.11.1998 on the quality of water intended for human consumption, OJ L 330, 5.12.1998, p. 32–54
2.Commission Directive (EU) 2015/1787 of 6 October 2015 amending Annexes II and III to Council Directive 98/83/EC on the quality of water intended for human consumption, OJ L 260, 7.10.2015, p. 6–17
3.http://ec.europa.eu/environment/water/water-drink/pdf/Small%20drinking%20water%20supplies.pdf

Maltese Version

Suġġett: Il-kwalità tal-ilma tax-xorb
Ir-rapporti tekniċi dwar il-Kwalità tal-Ilma tax-Xorb fl-UE li huma disponibbli fuq il-paġna web tal-Kummissjoni dwar l-ilma tax-xorb juru bosta nuqqasijiet li jissodisfaw l-istandards dwar parametri kimiċi u mikrobijoloġiċi stabbiliti fid-Direttiva tal-Kunsill 98/83/KE (id-Direttiva dwar l-Ilma tax-Xorb).
F’dan ir-rigward:
– Il-Kummissjoni kif qed tassisti lill-Istati Membri fl-iżgurar li l-provvisti tal-ilma fit-territorji tagħhom jikkonformaw bis-sħiħ mad-Direttiva dwar l-Ilma tax-Xorb?
– X’qed tagħmel il-Kummissjoni sabiex tiżgura li l-Istati Membri jipprovdu ammont suffiċjenti ta’ data biex tiġi vvalutata b’mod ġust il-qagħda tal-ilma tax-xorb fit-territorju tagħhom?

MT
E-013292/2015
Tweġiba tas-Sur Vella
f’isem il-Kummissjoni
(25.11.2015)

B’mod ġenerali, id-Direttiva tal-UE Dwar l-Ilma tax-Xorb tiġi implimentata sew u fil-parti l-kbira jidher li hemm rati ta’ konformità ta’ bejn 99-100 %. Reċentement, il-Kummissjoni, f’konsultazzjoni mill-qrib mal-Istati Membri, aġġornat l-Annessi II u III tad-Direttiva biex l-Istati Membri jingħataw opportunità biex jimmonitorjaw il-parametri tal-ilma tax-xorb abbażi ta’ approċċ ibbażat fuq il-fattur tar-riskju. Meta jinħtieġ, il-Kummissjoni tassisti lill-Istati Membri permezz ta’ dokumenti ta’ gwida addizzjonali, bħal pereżempju l-Qafas għal Azzjoni għall-ġestjoni ta’ provvisti żgħar ta’ ilma tax-xorb.

L-Artikolu 13(1) tad-Direttiva jistipula li l-Istati Membri għandhom jieħdu l-miżuri meħtieġa biex jiżguraw li l-konsumaturi jkollhom aċċess għal informazzjoni adegwata u aġġornata dwar il-kwalità tal-ilma maħsub għall-konsum mill-bniedem. Huwa f’idejn l-Istati Membri biex jiddeċiedu kif jagħmlu din l-informazzjoni disponibbli permezz ta’ rapporti nazzjonali, reġjonali jew lokali jew permezz ta’ bażijiet ta’ data dwar il-kwalità tal-ilma tax-xorb, u dwar kif l-informazzjoni tkun aċċessibbli, inkluż permezz tal-internet jew ta’ midja oħra. L-għoti ta’ informazzjoni lill-konsumaturi għandu jkun distint mir-rapporti lill-Kummissjoni. Ir-rappurtar retrospettiv ta’ kull tliet snin kif deskritt fl-Artikolu 13(2)-(6) imur lil hinn minn informazzjoni dwar il-kwalità u jkopri problemi ta’ konformità, il-kawżi tagħhom u l-azzjonijiet ta’ rimedju. Għalkemm id-data tiġi rrapportata biss f’intervalli ta’ tliet snin, ir-rappurtar jiżgura li l-Istati Membri jkunu qed jużaw sistema għall-kontroll ta’ żoni ta’ provvista tal-ilma tax-xorb. Attwalment qed issir evalwazzjoni tad-Direttiva u tar-rekwiżiti ta’ informazzjoni tagħha, skont il-Programm tal-Kummissjoni dwar l-Idoneità u l-Prestazzjoni tar-Regolamentazzjoni (REFIT).