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Industrial pollutant releases to water in Europe
Between 2010 and 2024, industrial releases to Europe’s water bodies of pollutants damaging to human health and the environment declined overall. Releases of heavy metals declined until 2016 with a stagnating trend thereafter. Emissions of nitrogen, which cause eutrophication, declined to a lesser extent. The economic value of industry increased by almost 20%, in line with the EU policy objective of supporting industrial growth while decreasing industrial emissions. However, data gaps make it difficult to assess industry’s contribution to overall water pollution in Europe.
Ecological status of surface waters in Europe
The ecological status of European Union surface waters continues to decline, as reported, only 39.6% attained good status in 2021. Member States must urgently implement all measures to achieve a good ecological status to meet the Water Framework Directive’s 2027 deadline. The third River Basin Management Plans are the final opportunity to meet the Water Framework Directive’s objectives and deliver on the Water Resilience Strategy. Key opportunities to accelerate progress and foster synergies to amplify results across policies can be found through the Nature Restoration Regulation.