This Directive sets the EU framework for the protection of inland surface waters, groundwater, transitional waters and coastal waters. The List of Priority Substances contains pollutants to cease or phase-out their discharges, emissions and losses in a 20 years timeline.

Directive 2000/60/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council establishing a framework for the Community action in the field of water policy, in short, the EU Water Framework Directive, establishes that the European Parliament and the Council shall adopt specific measures against pollution of water by individual pollutants or groups of pollutants presenting a significant risk to or via the aquatic environment, including such risks to waters used for the abstraction of drinking water. Specific measures should be taken in order to achieve the cessation or phasing-out of discharges, emissions and losses of priority hazardous substances in a 20 years timeline.

Priority Substances

The first list of priority substances (Annex X to the WFD) was established by way of Decision 2455/2001/EC using the approaches outlined in Article 16 of the WFD.

This first list was replaced by Annex II of the Directive on Environmental Quality Standards (Directive 2008/105/EC), also known as the Priority Substances Directive, which also set environmental quality standards for the substances in surface waters. The list was replaced again in 2013 by Annex I to Directive 2013/39/EU, which also included environmental quality standards and some other provisions on chemical pollutants.

 (As the contents of the lists of the WFD and the Priority Substances Directive have been merged, the final list of Priority Substances was included into the SUBSPORTplus database.)

Go to: Water Framework Directive (Directive 2000/60/EC) https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/dir/2000/60/oj

Go to: List of Priority Substances (Annex II of Directive 2008/105/EC) https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?qid=1600272045691&uri=CELEX%3A32008L0105

Go to: Directive 2013/39/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 12 August 2013 amending Directives 2000/60/EC and 2008/105/EC as regards priority substances in the field of water policy https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/ALL/?uri=CELEX:32013L0039

Priority substances under the Water Framework Directive https://ec.europa.eu/environment/water/water-dangersub/pri_substances.htm