The revised European Directive 2020/2184 on the quality of water intended for human consumption. A step forward in risk assessment, consumer safety and informative communication

Abstract

Water is an indispensable element for humankind and indeed all living beings; as such it is essential that it be supplied in adherence with safety and security criteria so as to fulfill its primordial role in community development. Therefore, the European Union has issued a new Directive on drinking water, updating the previous one (98/83/EC).The main new features of the updated Directive issued on January 12, 2021 include:• The adoption of a risk-based approach, in accordance with the principles of the Water Safety Plan, along the entire supply chain including the domestic system from the meter to the tap;• The updating of some quality standards, mainly related to the introduction of new parameters and the modification of parameter values for some in a more restrictive sense and for others in more permissive terms;• The identification of possible emerging pollutants present in supply sources (catchment areas);• The demand for effective and transparent communication to citizens on the quality of the water supplied, necessary to foster consumer confidence in the mains water supply.The Directive is the first European legislation adopted following a European Citizens' Initiative (ECI), a European Union participatory democracy tool launched through the “Right2Water” initiative aiming to positively affect the environment. Indeed, the increased consumer confidence in tap water resulting from the desired improvement in communication to citizens should lead to a gradual reduction in the use of plastic water bottles.In addition, the Directive confirms what WHO has been reporting for some time through its Water Safety Plans. It is not limited to monitoring activities but also reproposes and promotes a generalised safety approach based on risk identification and management along the entire drinking water supply chain (from the catchment area to extraction, treatment, storage including distribution).The revised Directive will become the reference standard for the quality of water intended for human consumption in EU countries, and its entry into force will make it possible to minimise the harmful impacts of pollution on human health.