Joint Statement on the revision of lists of surface and groundwater pollutants

CCB • October 19, 2022

19 October 2022 - As a joint alliance of EU health and environmental civil society organisations we hereby share our main policy recommendations on the update of the lists of surface and groundwater pollutants under the Water Framework Directive (2000/60/EC – WFD), the Environmental Quality Standards Directive (2013/39/EU – EQSD) and the Groundwater Directive (2006/118/EC – GWD).


Despite some improvements, water pollution remains a key environmental challenge across the EU and globally. Twenty years after the adoption of the Water Framework Directive, less than 40% of Europe’s rivers, lakes, coastal and transitional waters are in good chemical status. While the number for groundwater bodies in good chemical status is higher (74%), there are some large regional differences and it is also an effect of the fact that fewer pollutants are monitored in groundwater.


Yet, this does not reveal the full scale of EU water pollution as chemical status is only assessed against a small fraction of the substances present in the environment and does not consider mixture effects meaning that the full picture of chemical pollution in aquatic environments is underestimated and under-reported. It must also be acknowledged that fresh water and ocean pollution are one: and the protection of Europe’s blue spaces depends on decisions adopted upstream.


The ongoing revision of lists of pollutants presents an opportunity to better tackle the chemical water pollution as identified in the fitness check evaluation of the water legislation, in particular related to mixture effects, uptake of scientific advances and transparency. We would like to set out key policy recommendations for these important legislative revisions:


  1. Expand the list of water pollutants to reflect the real scale of pollution
  2. Improve monitoring practices
  3. EU water legislation must respond faster to scientific knowledge
  4. Strengthen the responsibility of manufacturers, importers and users
  5. Use the most cost-efficient measures to address water pollution at source


Read the full statement here.


Co-signing organizations:

EU fisheries at a crossroads: NGOs warn against reform as Baltic collapse exposes failure to enforce existing rules

By CCB • April 30, 2026
Failure to implement EU fisheries law, not gaps in the policy itself, has pushed the Baltic Sea to the brink. Coalition Clean Baltic (CCB) urges immediate action to rebuild Baltic fish populations and restore ecosystems.

Tampering with EU Fisheries Policy would ‘open Pandora’s Box’, NGOs warn

By CCB • March 30, 2026
Brussels, 30 March 2026 - Today, Fisheries Ministers from EU Member States meet with the European Commission for the AGRIFISH Council. On this occasion, Oceana, BLOOM, ClientEarth, Coalition Clean Baltic (CCB), Environmental Justice Foundation (EJF), Seas At Risk and WWF EU, handed a symbolic ''Pandora’s Box'' to the EU Commissioner Costas Kadis, sending a clear message as the European Commission prepares its 2026 evaluation of the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP). The box represents the risks of revising EU’s main fishery policy framework: once opened, competing demands from Member States, industry, small-scale fishers, and coastal communities could quickly spiral into division, regulatory delays and uncertainties. This would put at risk the hard-won progress made in restoring Europe’s fish populations and improving the profitability of the fishing sector. NGOs urge decision makers to build on the progress made to date and to prioritise the full and timely implementation of the existing rules. Reopening the CFP and its related provisions would undermine ocean health and the long-term future of Europe’s fishing communities. '' Europe's fisheries policy is facing a credibility test. The law is already there. The tools to rebuild our seas already exist. What's missing is the political will to deliver. Overfishing should have ended by 2020 at the latest. Reopening the CFP would signal that missed deadlines carry no consequences, erode trust, revert the progress made, and put the future of our fisheries and coastal communities at stake ’’, said the NGO coalition. *** Oceana: Vera Coelho, Executive Director and Vice President in Europe BLOOM: Claire Nouvian, Founder and General Director ClientEarth: John Condon, Lead of Marine Ecosystems Coalition Clean Baltic (CCB): Ida Carlén, Co-Chair Environmental Justice Foundation: Steve Trent, CEO/Founder Seas At Risk: Dr Monica Verbeek, Executive Director WWF EU: Ester Asin, Director