News

On 23 October 2018, the European Parliament (EP) voted on the revision of the Drinking Water Directive (Directive 98/83/EC). The report by French MEP Michel Dantin (European People's Party) on the European Commission's proposals was adopted during an EP session in Strasbourg, with 300 votes in favour, 98 votes against and 274 abstentions. The Association of Dutch water companies (Vewin) is pleased...

Annie Schreijer-Pierik, a Dutch Member of the European Parliament representing the Christian Democratic Appeal (CDA) party (EPP), has once again asked questions in the European Parliament about the lack of a European strategy for dealing with pharmaceutical residues in the environment (PIE).

On 1 June, the European Commission (EC) presented the draft legislation for the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) after 2020. For the drinking water sector, it is vital that the European agricultural policy contributes to the protection of groundwater and surface water against pollutants from agricultural sources.

The Dutch Water Authorities and Association of Dutch Water Companies (Vewin) call for the adoption of measures to improve soil and water quality in the future Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), and for better coordination between European agricultural and water policies. Both organisations put this statement forward in a joint letter to Frans Timmermans, Vice-President of the European Commission.

​Michel Dantin of France, the European Parliament’s Drinking Water rapporteur, today visited the Dutch drinking water industry. He was a guest at a production site of the Dunea drinking water company at Scheveningen near The Hague.

Customers have a very high opinion of Dutch drinking water; customer satisfaction with drinking water services is also high and drinking water bills in the Netherlands are low in comparison with neighbouring countries. Those are the standout conclusions from Drinking Water Statistics 2017, from source to tap, Vewin's up-to-date and extensive statistical survey of the Dutch drinking water sector.

​​Dutch European Commissioner Frans Timmermans, together with his colleague Karmenu Vella (Environment) today presented a proposal for the revision of Council Directive 98/83/EC "on the quality of water intended for human consumption", also known as the Drinking Water Directive.

Vewin has issued a response to the European Commission's "Strategic Approach to Pharmaceuticals in the Environment", stressing the importance of transnational action.

European Commissioner Karmenu Vella has responded to written questions submitted by Dutch MEP Annie Schreijer-Pierik regarding emissions of perfluorooctanoic acid and GenX. Mrs Schreijer-Pierik is concerned about the circumstances surrounding such emissions and has called for clearer regulations and greater transparency. Drinking water companies continue to detect substances close to their intake points...

​In its report The Quality of Drinking Water in the Netherlands 2016, the Human Environment and Transport Inspectorate (ILT) examines whether the drinking water that is supplied complies with all current norms.

When is the European Commission to announce a strategic approach to tackle water contamination by pharmaceutical products? This was the question asked by Dutch MEP Annie Schreijer-Pierik, spokesperson on water and environment, this week. Member states, producers, consumers and other stakeholders have been waiting for such a strategy for several years, she asserted.

On Monday 27 November, the member states of the European Union voted to extend the licence of the herbicide glyphosate for a further five years. Eighteen countries, including the Netherlands, voted in favour of the motion tabled by the European Commission, while nine countries voted against