Brussels urges Spain to adopt EU rules on water and accidents involving hazardous substances.

Brussels, June 18 (EFE) - The European Commission today urged Spain to transpose two EU directives into its national legislation regarding the quality of drinking water and the control of accidents in industrial plants involving hazardous substances.

The EU executive sent Spain letters of formal notice urging it to fully adopt the regulations, which is the first step in an infringement procedure. Madrid now has two months to respond and correct the identified deficiencies.

In the case of the Drinking Water Directive, Brussels is urging Spain, Bulgaria, Greece, the Netherlands, and Portugal, arguing that these Member States, in various cases, have not properly implemented into their domestic legislation a regulation that "contributes to improving water resilience throughout the EU and achieving the European goal of zero pollution."

EU countries had until January 2023 to adopt the new Directive, which "strengthens the protection of human health by updating water quality standards, addressing contaminants of concern such as endocrine disruptors and microplastics, and ensuring cleaner tap water."

European law also requires addressing water losses in distribution, as an average of 30% of drinking water is currently lost during the supply process in the European Union, the EU government added in a statement.

The European Commission criticizes Spain for "shortcomings" that include the narrowing of the Directive's scope, the lack of specific provisions on risk assessments for the drinking water supply system, and the absence of provisions for periodic reviews.

Brussels also drew Spain's attention to the Seveso III Directive on the control of risks inherent in major accidents involving hazardous substances.

The regulations apply to more than 12,000 industrial installations across the EU and establish the relevant regulatory framework for risk management measures to prevent major accidents and limit their consequences, the Commission noted, stressing that the Directive "plays a key role in the European strategy for zero pollution from industrial accidents."

"The Commission has found that Spain has not correctly transposed several provisions of the Seveso III Directive, including those relating to information obligations, deadlines for developing emergency plans for new establishments, and the need for environmental cleanup following a serious accident," the government said. EFE

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