The Commission welcomes the temporary political agreement reached today between the European Parliament and the Council on the Commission's proposal for the revision of the directive on the treatment of municipal wastewater . This revised directive  substantially will strengthen the protection of human health and the environment against the harmful discharge of municipal wastewater . It will also lead to cleaner rivers, lakes, groundwater and seas throughout Europe.  

Thanks to the new measures, more nutrients will be removed from urban wastewater and new standards will be applied to micropollutants. The Directive will now apply to a wider number of areas as it will also apply to smaller agglomerations from 1,000 inhabitants .   

According to "polluter pays" principle the new law will ensure that the cost of this protection is partially covered by the responsible industry, rather than water charges or the public budget. In addition, the waste water sector will lead to energy and climate neutrality .