The European Parliament has adopted an EPP-backed resolution calling for a reassessment of the Urban Wastewater Treatment Directive (UWWTD), writes Catherine Feore.
EPP lawmakers are calling for a delay in implementation and a review of the UWWTD they say could increase costs for medicine manufacturers, particularly producers of low-margin generic medicines, potentially affecting supply and affordability.
Opening the debate, EPP MEP Oliver Schenk (Germany) insisted that environmental objectives should not come at the expense of healthcare security: “Europe needs clean water. But Europe also needs a safe and affordable supply of medicines. These two things must not be played off against each other, they must go hand in hand.”
The resolution raises concerns about the directive’s extended producer responsibility (EPR) scheme, which requires pharmaceutical and cosmetic companies to cover at least 80% of the costs of removing micropollutants from urban wastewater.
Environment Commissioner Jessica Roswall rejected calls for a “stop-the-clock” mechanism and defended the Commission’s analysis. Referring to an additional study carried out by the Commission last year, she said the latest assessment found that the cost of removing micropollutants would amount to between €2.70 and €3.20 per citizen annually by 2045, broadly confirming earlier estimates. “This does not indicate a fundamental change of cost estimate,” she told MEPs.
The debate exposed a growing political fault line between the centre-right and a coalition of S&D, Renew, the Greens and The Left over environmental regulation and industrial competitiveness…..
