Source: European Parliament
Question for written answer E-002429/2025
to the Commission
Rule 144
Radan Kanev (PPE), Dimitris Tsiodras (PPE), Danuše Nerudová (PPE), Manuela Ripa (PPE), Martin Hojsík (Renew), Bruno Tobback (S&D), Irena Joveva (Renew), Marie Toussaint (Verts/ALE), Christine Singer (Renew), Aurelijus Veryga (ECR), Ingeborg Ter Laak (PPE), Eva Maydell (PPE), Michalis Hadjipantela (PPE), Benoit Cassart (Renew), Olivier Chastel (Renew), Tomáš Zdechovský (PPE), Liesbet Sommen (PPE), Oliver Schenk (PPE), Paulo Cunha (PPE), András Tivadar Kulja (PPE), Sebastian Everding (The Left)
High-quality water is essential for industry, agriculture and the circular economy. The European Water Resilience Strategy rightly highlights that so-called ‘forever chemicals,’ such as per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) lead to rising costs, which are largely borne by local authorities.
In the absence of harmonised data, the exact scale of this financial burden remains difficult to assess. However, the strategy estimates that treating drinking water contaminated with PFAS could cost up to EUR 18 billion per year, not including even higher costs related to wastewater treatment and sludge management.
This financial pressure is increasingly falling on citizens, particularly in urban areas located near industrial sites of strategic importance. Urgent measures must be funded in these areas, including advanced filtration systems, the purchase of substitute drinking water and pollution mapping. These expenditures come at the expense of other local priorities, such as support for local businesses.
- 1.How does the Commission plan to involve local authorities in the collection and analysis of costs related to the treatment of PFAS and other persistent chemicals?
- 2.Does the Commission plan to involve local governments in shaping the public-private partnerships envisaged in the European Water Resilience Strategy for managing PFAS and other persistent chemicals?
Submitted: 17.6.2025