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The European Commission calls on Sweden to comply with the Water Framework Directive

  • The European Commission calls on Sweden to comply with the Water Framework Directive

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European Commission
The European Commission is the EU's executive arm. It takes decisions on the Union's political and strategic direction.

The European Commission decided to open an infringement procedure by sending a letter of formal notice to Sweden (INFR(2024)2236) for failing to comply with the Water Framework Directive (Directive 2000/60/EC).

Full implementation of the water quality standards set out in EU legislation 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.

These measures must be included in the river basin management plans which must be established and reported to the Commission every six years. Each programme of measures must include basic measures to control different types of water abstraction, impoundment, point source discharge, diffuse sources liable to cause pollution, and any other significant adverse impacts on water quality. Member States are required to periodically review and update these controls, including any water permits granted for these purposes.

The Commission has already initiated similar infringement procedures against six other Member States (Cyprus, the Netherlands, Austria, Slovenia, Belgium and Finland). In Sweden, national law does not provide for periodic reviews of the relevant controls, or, for some of the controls, the periodic reviews are not frequent enough. For example, the majority of Sweden's hydropower dams operate based on permits dating back to the period between 1918 and 1978, with potentially negative impacts for river biodiversity. In addition, many water abstractions are operated without permits even if the abstractions may have significant impacts on the status of the affected water bodies.

Furthermore, the water abstraction registers – in which Member States must list all abstractions having significant impact – are not comprehensive. The Commission is therefore sending a letter of formal notice to Sweden, 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.

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