European Commission calls on Poland to ensure periodic review of water permits

The European Commission has decided to open an infringement procedure by sending a letter of formal notice to Poland (INFR(2025)2160) for failing to correctly transpose the Water Framework Directive (Directive 2000/60/EC), including the obligation to carry out periodic reviews of water permits. Full implementation of EU water quality requirements is key to protecting human health and the environment.

The Directive requires Member States to establish a programme of measures for each river basin district to ensure good status of European water bodies, such as rivers and lakes. Each programme must include measures to control different types of pressures affecting water bodies, such as water abstraction, impoundment, point source discharges and diffuse pollution sources.

Member States are required to periodically review these control measures, including any permits granted, to determine whether they still achieve their objectives and, if necessary, update them. However, at present, the obligation to periodically review water abstractions is incorrectly transposed into Polish law, as it does not cover all permitted activities. There is also no explicit obligation for the competent authorities to update the reviewed permits, if there is a risk that the environmental objectives will not be achieved.

The Commission is therefore sending a letter of formal notice to Poland, which now has two months to respond and address the shortcomings raised by the Commission. In the absence of a satisfactory response, the Commission may decide to issue a reasoned opinion.