EEF Responds to RIA on the Water Framework Directive

EEF shares the government’s concerns that the proposal put forward by the European Commission does not take into account the potential for significant implementation and compliance costs in meeting some of the environmental quality standards (EQSs), and that these costs may not be proportionate to the environmental protection required or the benefits gained.

We therefore requested that, in negotiating its position with the European Council, the government seek to ensure that the derogations available under Article 4 of the Water Framework Directive (on the grounds of disproportionate cost or technical infeasibility) are referred to explicitly within the Commission’s daughter directive proposal.