European Water Directive: strategic reform that has the CNRS on alert

The Water Framework Directive (WFC) adopted in 2000 is a central pillar of European water policy. “One of its primary goals is to end water degradation, in order to improve the ecological and chemical state of bodies of water such as rivers, lakes, and groundwater,” points out Agathe Euzen, Deputy Director of the CNRS Ecology and Environment Institute and Co-Director of the OneWater - Eau Bien Commun research programme .

Revision of the Water Framework Directive: a turning point for EU water policy

Last December, the European Commission announced it would review and revise the framework directive during the second quarter of 2026. “The objective is to relax or limit the restrictions imposed by the Water Framework Directive, especially to facilitate mining extraction activities on the European continent,” notes Euzen. As part of the RESourceEU plan presented in December 2025, the Commission is seeking to change regulations with a view to developing the extraction, transformation, and recycling of metals in Europe listed as critical raw materials by the EU, such as nickel and lithium. For the Commission, the overarching goal is to strengthen Europe’s strategic autonomy. “The mining and metals transformation sectors have often expressed the difficulties they face in securing permits for strategic projects. These problems arise from application of WFD provisions designed to halt the deterioration of bodies of water,” indicates the European Commission. “The operative principle for this directive—the no deterioration principle for water and aquatic environments with respect to quantity and quality—limits the risks of water pollution and the degradation of such environments due to human activities,” observes Euzen.

The Commission initiated the first stage of the revision process for the Water Framework Directive by launching a call for evidence, which was open until 14 April 2026. A vast mobilization yielded 3,113 responses, with more than 2,600 representing citizen contributions, thereby demonstrating the importance of this topic for society. The responses came from NGOs, environmental protection associations, citizens, as well as industrial associations and enterprises in the water, mining, and chemical industries, all of whom submitted opinions that will be studied by the Commission. Multiple scientific institutions, including the CNRS, have also contributed to the debate.

Critical raw materials, industry, and water: a delicate balance

In the position paper addressed to the European Commission, the CNRS “emphasises multiple aspects calling for vigilance with regard to the potential revision of the WFD,” indicates Euzen, who helped draft the document. “Depending on the trade-offs that will be made, there could be a direct impact on the blueprint for applying the no deterioration principle, which is central to the Water Framework Directive. The socioeconomic consequences of water degradation are considerable, and often underestimated. Water pollution generates substantial costs, notably more extensive requirements for treating drinking water, restrictions for economic uses such as tourism, and broader impacts for ecosystem services and human health,” underscores the CNRS memorandum.   

The figures published in 2024 in the most recent report on the state of water in Europe show that just 37% of surface waters are in good ecological state, and only 29% in good chemical state. “Water pollution is a serious threat for regional development and the health of ecosystems and human populations. We are seeing a gradual degradation in the quality of aquatic environments over the long term. We absolutely must act to preserve water quality by reducing pollutant emissions–and by better sharing this common good among its various uses and with ecosystems within water basins–in order to ensure socioeconomic development that is the most suitable from a global context. We have not been up to the task,” observes Euzen, for while WFD regulations are stringent, “its implementation does not always include sufficient means for achieving the objectives established by the directive.”

The CNRS calls for a scientific and systemic approach to water management

“The directive’s primary limitation is not its design or objectives, but rather its sustained and unequal implementation from one member state to another. Any revision of the directive should therefore prioritize enhanced implementation and application, all while fully preserving its fundamental principles and environmental ambitions,” underscores the CNRS memorandum.

The authors of the memorandum, who are from various fields of expertise , also stress the need for greater reliance on scientific results to guide public policy. “Given the stakes, these problems should be considered using a systemic approach,” reveals Euzen. “At the CNRS, we can mobilize a broad range of disciplines to offer a global view and grasp of the many issues involved in water resources.” Euzen stresses that these issues go beyond a simply environmental framework, for “they involve water governance and health, economic development, town and country planning, environmental justice, equity, and democracy.”

The details surrounding the revision of the Water Framework Directive should be presented by the European Commission by the summer of 2026.