What is drinking water
Drinking water is the water that comes to our homes, restaurants and businesses that is treated in order to make it safe to consume. In Europe, “drinking water” generally refers to water intended for human consumption that meets strict EU and national quality standards designed to protect public health. To qualify as drinking water, it must meet the requirements of the EU Drinking Water Directive (2020), which sets binding quality standards for all Member States.
Its purpose is to protect human health by ensuring that all water intended for human consumption is clean, and safe. The directive strengthens monitoring, improves risk management, and supports the continuous delivery of high-quality drinking water across the continent.
Our priorities
At EurEau, we believe that everyone should have access to high-quality, affordable drinking water.
We welcome the revision of the Drinking Water Directive because it reinforces public health protection and supports the work of water service providers across Europe.
Our priorities for the directive were clear:
- Ensuring robust protection of public health by applying a full “catchment-to-tap” approach, in line with WHO Water Safety Planning.
- Establishing parameters and parametric values aligned with WHO recommendations.
- Introducing EU-wide hygienic requirements for all materials and products in contact with drinking water.
As always, we work closely with the European Commission and Member States to implement the directive.
This includes contributing to secondary legislation, including the first Watch List of priority substances, supporting the development of analytical methods, including for microplastics, participating actively in the European Commission’s DWD Expert Group and engaging in work on water leakage and efficiency.
Key positions and briefings
Our other priorities
Wastewater
Advancing sustainable wastewater management and circular solutions to protect public health and ensure our water resources remain clean for generations to come.
Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS)
Tackling the challenge of highly persistent PFAS by collaborating with stakeholders to eliminate emissions and ensure our drinking water sources remain safe and clean.