The water we drink every day must not only be clean but also safe for our health - that's obvious. This is precisely why the European Union - known for its penchant for regulating many matters - introduced Directive 2020/2184 (EU), which concerns the quality of water intended for human consumption. This is, in principle, an important document for EU member states and citizens – both for consumers and for manufacturers of fittings, pipes, or valves.
The aim of Directive 2020/2184 (EU) is to ensure that water supplied to homes, schools, and workplaces remains safe at every stage – from the source, through the network, to the tap. The European Union recognized that previous regulations from 1998 did not account for modern technologies and chemical threats.
The new directive adapts the regulations to contemporary realities. It is intended to be a benchmark for EU member states to strive towards - regarding the permissible content of many harmful substances, e.g., lead, copper, nickel, iron, chlorine, but also biological contaminants, bacteria - e.g., E. coli, Legionella, Enterococci etc.
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Directive 2020/2184 EU introduces a series of requirements; some are repetitions from the previous directive, sometimes expanded, and there are also novelties. Of course, the directive is merely a direction and a specified requirement to be met - which, in principle, should be respected by EU member states.
The directive sets new, stricter limits for certain substances, e.g., lead, copper, nickel, microplastics, and bacteria. National authorities dealing with this issue should adjust their standards (if they were not already compliant) and introduce measures aimed at achieving the new water quality standards.
The goal is to protect human health and reduce water contamination in distribution systems.
A very important part of the directive is the requirements concerning materials that come into contact with drinking water. Although it does not introduce a unified CE marking for such products, it does specify which materials may and may not be used for products intended for contact with water for human consumption.
This applies to, among others:
These elements must not release harmful substances into the water nor affect its taste, odor, or color.
Member states are obliged to create lists of permitted materials that can be used in contact with drinking water, and manufacturers (as well as importers) must comply with them.
Directive 2020/2184 also introduces an obligation to provide information on water quality. Every citizen should have easy access to data about what is in their tap water, as supplied by the water networks.
In practice, this means that water test results will be published publicly – e.g., on municipal and water utility websites, which must be adapted in the local legislation of individual countries.
Of course, the EU wouldn't be itself if it didn't mention that... So Directive 2020/2184 (EU) emphasizes that access to clean water is a human right.
Member states are obliged to provide water also to people in vulnerable situations, e.g., through public water collection points or city fountains. However, this aligns with the practice of states and civilizational norms in Europe, where it is obvious that water is provided, for instance, to areas affected by disasters or floods.
The introduction of new regulations means, however, that some countries, especially poorer ones, must undertake a series of measures aimed at adapting to current standards or at least demonstrating that they are doing something for this purpose. This involves the need to adapt water infrastructure, modernize many water supply networks. Certainly, this is important, also for the budgets of poor municipalities or regions.
The EU is decidedly moving towards a strong bureaucratization of public life - and this document, besides important and practical assumptions, contains a mass of unnecessary provisions. For example, why does a directive on drinking water quality talk about human rights, when the right to drinking water was long ago defined in other EU documents specifically addressing human rights. This refers, for instance, to the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union from 2000.
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