Directive 1998/83 - Quality of water intended for human consumption - Main contents

official title

 

Legal instrument	Directive
Number legal act	Directive 1998/83
Original proposal	COM(1994)612
CELEX number i	31998L0083

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Council Directive 98/83/EC of 3 November 1998 on the quality of water intended for human consumption

Official Journal L 330 , 05/12/1998 P. 0032 - 0054

COUNCIL DIRECTIVE 98/83/EC of 3 November 1998 on the quality of water intended for human consumption

THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION,

Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Community and, in particular, Article 130s(1) thereof,

Having regard to the proposal from the Commission (1),

Having regard to the opinion of the Economic and Social Committee (2),

Having regard to the opinion of the Committee of the Regions (3),

Acting in accordance with the procedure laid down in Article 189c (4),

• (1) 

  Whereas it is necessary to adapt Council Directive 80/778/EEC of 15 July 1980 relating to the quality of water intended for human consumption (5) to scientific and technological progress; whereas experience gained from implementing that Directive shows that it is necessary to create an appropriately flexible and transparent legal framework for Member States to address failures to meet the standards; whereas, furthermore, that Directive should be re-examined in the light of the Treaty on European Union and in particular the principle of subsidiarity;

• (2) 

  Whereas in keeping with Article 3b of the Treaty, which provides that no Community action should go beyond what is necessary to achieve the objectives of the Treaty, it is necessary to revise Directive 80/778/EEC so as to focus on compliance with essential quality and health parameters, leaving Member States free to add other parameters if they see fit;

• (3) 

  Whereas, in accordance with the principle of subsidiarity, Community action must support and supplement action by the competent authorities in the Member States;

• (4) 

  Whereas, in accordance with the principle of subsidiarity, the natural and socio-economic differences between the regions of the Union require that most decisions on monitoring, analysis, and the measures to be taken to redress failures be taken at a local, regional or national level insofar as those differences do not detract from the establishment of the framework of laws, regulations and administrative provisions laid down in this Directive;

• (5) 

  Whereas Community standards for essential and preventive health-related quality parameters in water intended for human consumption are necessary if minimum environmental-quality goals to be achieved in connection with other Community measures are to be defined so that the sustainable use of water intended for human consumption may be safeguarded and promoted;

• (6) 

  Whereas, in view of the importance of the quality of water intended for human consumption for human health, it is necessary to lay down at Community level the essential quality standards with which water intended for that purpose must comply;

• (7) 

  Whereas it is necessary to include water used in the food industry unless it can be established that the use of such water does not affect the wholesomeness of the finished product;

• (8) 

  Whereas to enable water-supply undertakings to meet the quality standards for drinking water, appropriate water-protection measures should be applied to ensure that surface and groundwater is kept clean; whereas the same goal can be achieved by appropriate water-treatment measures to be applied before supply;

• (9) 

  Whereas the coherence of European water policy presupposes that a suitable water framework Directive will be adopted in due course;

• (10) 

  Whereas it is necessary to exclude from the scope of this Directive natural mineral waters and waters which are medicinal products, since special rules for those types of water have been established;

• (11) 

  Whereas measures are required for all parameters directly relevant to health and for other parameters if a...

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