The European Drinking Water Directive is a legislation enacted by the European Union (EU) to ensure the quality of drinking water across member states. It sets standards for drinking water quality and aims to protect human health from the adverse effects of contaminated drinking water.
Of major interest to the AQUA members is article 11 which states the “Minimum hygiene requirements for materials that come into contact with water intended for human consumption”. It defines 6 legal acts most relevant for products in contact with drinking water. They will apply to materials and products used in new installations or when older ones are renovated or repaired. These standards will prevent microbial growth and reduce the risk of harmful substances leaching into drinking water. It will set a new European regulatory scheme and set out of force existing national regulations which then will allow the products to be sold across the EU without any restrictions.
The DWD was adopted in January 2021 and was transposed into Member States National regulations in January 2023. The 6 legal acts and annexes have been adopted by the EU Commission last January 2024 (Drinking water to become safer (europa.eu)). These are in the process of being evaluated by the European Parliament and the Council before being published in the Official Journal of the European Union.
