The European Commission published its multifaceted Environmental Simplification Package yesterday (10.12.25).
We strongly welcome the Commission’s sensible decision not to reopen the Urban Wastewater Treatment Directive, following the fully updated EPR cost study. This increases planning security for the wastewater sector while addressing worries regarding massive cost increases compared to the initial impact assessment.
On the other hand, the proposed changes to industrial reporting rules as a step backwards for water resilience. The scrapping of the Substances of Concern In Products (SCIP) database in favour of a Digital Product Passport which is not yet implemented would create a blind spot for recyclers, increasing the risk of hazardous chemicals polluting water resources due to improper waste management. The removal from the Industrial Emissions Directive (IED) of chemical inventories, risk assessments and substitution plans would also deprive authorities of crucial information to evaluate risks from potential mishandling of hazardous substances in industrial facilities.
In addition, stopping the reporting of water use at factory farms covered by the IED runs counter to the Water Efficiency First Principle put forward in the Water Resilience Strategy. The Strategy set the goal to improve water efficiency by 10% across society by 2030 – but how can large livestock and aquaculture installations be expected to contribute to this goal if they do not measure water use in the first place?
We can partially support the proposed regulation on speeding up environmental assessments. Measures such as single points of contact, digital applications and joint procedures for assessments under different directives are a step in the right direction. We remain cautious, however, on the idea of time limits for the assessment process as these could lead to authorities having to sacrifice quality in order to meet the deadline. Any streamlined procedures must ensure the protection of the quality and quantity of drinking water resources.