European Union legislation provides for measures against chemical pollution of surface waters. Article 16 of the Water Framework Directive 2000/60/EC requires the establishment of a list of priority substances, these to be selected from amongst those presenting a significant risk to or via the aquatic environment at the EU level. It also requires the designation of a subset of priority hazardous substances, and proposals for controls to reduce the emissions, discharges and losses of all the substances and to phase out the emissions, discharges and losses of the subset of priority hazardous substances. In order to improve the quality of the monitoring data obtained under the Water Framework Directive, the Commission adopted Directive 2009/90/EC laying down technical specifications for chemical analysis and monitoring of water status.
PAN Europe Press Release: World Water Day: Protecting our tap water and aquatic ecosystems from pesticide pollution, 22 March 2017.
