Wastewater directive debate remains wide open, says Polish MEP

Political debate over the Urban Wastewater Treatment Directive (UWWTD) remains ongoing despite court rulings rejecting industry cases. While complaints were dismissed on procedural grounds due to lack of legal standing, Poland’s annulment action has been admitted by the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU).

Polish MEP, Elżbieta Katarzyna Łukacijewska (EPP), has been involved in the country’s case preparation. Her expectation is that the process will take 18-30 months, during which time political pressure will be maintained. In her view, securing a clear Commission response on a potential “stop the clock” mechanism for UWWTD implementation is therefore crucial.

“The EFPIA case rejection was purely procedural, so the court did not address the merits or evaluate arguments on the directive itself,” she told Euractiv. “In practice, the decision does not close the political debate on the proportionality of the extended producer responsibility (EPR) mechanism or…