The European Union’s revised water protection legislation has recently taken full effect, granting the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) a host of new research functions to strengthen the bloc’s capacity to shield water resources from chemical contamination.

The revised rules amend the EU Water Framework Directive, Groundwater Directive and Environmental Quality Standards Directive. They establish ECHA’s central role in the scientific assessment and priority screening of chemical pollutants in surface water, groundwater and drinking water, supporting the European Commission in updating water quality criteria and pollutant inventories.

The new regulation defines four core mandates for ECHA: formulating lists of priority controlled chemicals based on substance hazards and aquatic environmental risks; establishing rigorous scientific water environmental quality standards; assessing risks posed by emerging pollutants including microplastics, pharmaceutical residues and per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS); and delivering professional scientific advice to underpin EU water pollution control policies. Senior officials of ECHA stated that the agency will leverage decades of expertise in chemical risk assessment to facilitate the implementation of EU water environmental policies via evidence-based scientific evaluation.

The legislative update also aligns with the EU Sustainable Chemicals Strategy and the one-substance, one-assessment principle. It unifies chemical risk assessment criteria across sectors, eliminates redundant procedures, and improves coordination and enforcement efficiency of EU policies governing chemicals and aquatic environment management.