SGI Europe reacts to the European Water Resilience Strategy

SGI Europe, representing European employers and providers of Services of General Interest (SGIs), welcomes the presentation of the first EU Water Resilience Strategy, a timely and necessary step in bringing water to the forefront of the EU’s political agenda. While we welcome the EU’s growing focus on water protection, supportive schemes such as the Extended Producer Responsibility remain essential to preserve water resilience and the fair sharing of environmental responsibilities.

Following the publication of the strategy, SGI Europe Secretary General Valeria Ronzitti commented:

“SGI Europe recognises the value of the Water Resilience Strategy. Genuine water resilience starts with protecting water resources and preventing pollution at the source. We welcome the Strategy’s strong emphasis on the polluter-pays principle and on ensuring safe, affordable drinking water for all. Efficient use is important, but protection and prevention must come first.”

“Building a resilient water sector requires strong investment and actors with the capacity to act. SGI Europe calls for prioritised funding for water. As a social partner, SGI Europe looks forward to actively contributing to the Water Resilience Forum as a key space for high-level dialogue and implementation of EU water legislation."

"However, we are highly concerned by the proposal to revisit the Impact Assessment on the Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) scheme in the Urban Wastewater Treatment Directive. This key provision was developed based on inputs from experts and careful negotiations between EU institutions to ensure that the most polluting sectors, namely pharmaceuticals and cosmetics, take responsibility for their pollution. Revisiting this IA risks weakening a carefully negotiated and evidence-based agreement that serves people, the environment and the economy. If costs are shifted away from producers, they may ultimately fall on users, who should not bear the financial burden of industrial pollution."

(Illustration: Teresa Ribera, Executive Vice-President of the European Commission, and Jessica Roswall, European Commissioner, presenting the EU Water Resilience Strategy - Source: EC - Audiovisual Service)