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(4) Following the conclusion of the European citizens’ initiative on the right to water (‘the Right2Water initiative’), the Commission launched a Union-wide public consultation and performed a Regulatory Fitness and Performance (REFIT) Evaluation of Directive 98/83/EC. It became apparent from that exercise that certain provisions of that Directive needed to be updated. Four areas were identified as offering scope for improvement, namely the list of quality-based parametric values, the limited reliance on a risk-based approach, the imprecise provisions on consumer information, and the disparities between approval systems for materials that come into contact with water intended for human consumption and the implications such disparities have for human health. In addition, the Right2Water initiative identified as a distinct problem the fact that part of the population, in particular marginalised groups, has no access to water intended for human consumption, and providing such access is a commitment under Goal 6 of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. A final issue identified is the general lack of awareness of water leakages, which are driven by underinvestment in maintenance and renewal of water infrastructure, as also pointed out in the European Court of Auditors’ Special Report No 12/2017 of 5 July 2017 ‘Implementing the Drinking Water Directive: water quality and access to it improved in Bulgaria, Hungary and Romania, but investment needs remain substantial’.

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Source: EUR-Lex (Cellar) · retrieved 2026-10-28 · Text as adopted (Official Journal); later amendments are not incorporated in this text.