Fortum’s views on the revision of the Water Framework Directive

Fortum supports the objectives of the Water Framework Directive. We have actively contributed to the long-term and systematic work on river basin management in Finland and Sweden in strong cooperation with authorities and relevant stakeholders. Improving the status of water bodies remains an important objective that still requires further measures.

At the same time, the current operating environment is challenging for the economic operators, mainly due to the strict interpretations of the current regulatory framework and insufficient flexibilities. The Weser ruling from 2015 has resulted in an operating and investment environment that sets significant constraints on point-source operators, while limited impact on diffuse pollution from agriculture or forestry, which in countries like Finland and Sweden, is the main factor affecting water status. Also, the interpretations of the current regulation that have resulted in several infringement procedures towards Member States are impacting on the operating environment.

Fit-for-purpose legislation is needed to boost the competitiveness of the European industry. Fortum considers that the revision of the Water Framework Directive, mentioned in the ReSourceEU Action Plan, should aim for targeted simplification that:

• allows a broader use of flexibilities to manage the impacts on the permitting and investment environment by amending article 4(7)
• in addition to the critical raw materials, focuses also on similar needs of other sectors
• clarifies the interpretations of the current regulation that has resulted in several infringement procedures towards Member States
• maintains the directive’s key objectives.

Our more detailed views can be found in the attached position paper.

For more information, please contact:
Fredrik Blomfelt, Senior Manager, ESG, Corporate Public Affairs, fredrik.blomfelt@fortum.com