Water supply and sanitation in the European Union

Water supply and sanitation (WSS) is the responsibility of each member state of the European Union (EU), but in the 21st century union-wide policies have come into effect. Water resources are limited and supply and sanitation systems are under pressure from urbanisation and climate change. Indeed, the stakes are high as the European Environmental Agency found that one European out of ten already suffers a situation of water scarcity and the IEA measured the energy consumption of the water sector to be equivalent to 3,5% of the electricity consumption of the EU.

In late 2024, the European Union significantly modernized its regulatory approach with the adoption of Directive (EU) 2024/3019. This legislative "recast" integrates water management with the EU’s broader climate neutrality goals. Sustainability is now a legal mandate. The directive requires the wastewater sector to reach energy neutrality by 2045, effectively transforming treatment plants into producers of renewable energy through anaerobic digestion and biogas recovery.