The European Commission asks Belgium to improve the quality of its waters

The European Commission asks Belgium to improve the quality of its waters


A framework directive on water is supposed to ensure that the water of lakes, rivers, rivers or sources are of good quality by 2027. But this objective seems very distant. “Only 39.5% of the European Union surface bodies were in good ecological condition and 26.8% in good chemical condition” in 2021 against 33.5% in 2015, the report said.

The results of Belgium are below the average. Only 27.4% of our surface waters have good ecological condition. Although it is a slight improvement compared to the previous measure of 2015 (26.2 %), nitrates and pesticides as well as population density remains worrying.

In addition, all our surface waters had poor chemical condition, mainly due to the presence of mercury, PFAS and metals such as lead and cadmium. As for the groundwater, the Commission fears to see their quantity decrease due to the increase in extraction. The chemical state of groundwater has improved slightly compared to the 2015 measure, but almost half is still in poor condition.

In addition, the Commission has identified a significant risk of floods in all regions of the country. However, risk management is uneven and hampered by financing and coordination problems, according to the European executive.

“Belgium must improve water quality, tackle chemical pollution, improve its flood management objectives and flood risks,” insisted the commissioner in charge of the environment, Jessika Roswall . The country must also invest in clear solutions to adapt to climate change, the commissioner still estimates.

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