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7.4.1.      Key messages

• EU water legislation, including the Water Framework Directive (WFD), Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive and Nitrates Directive, will help to improve the quality of freshwater (e.g. by reducing nutrient and chemical pollution) before it enters waters.
• Wastewater treatment needs to continue to play a critical role in the protection of Europe's surface waters and investment will be required to upgrade wastewater treatment and to maintain infrastructure in many European countries.
• While compliance with the UWWTD is already relatively high in the most of the northern and central European Member States, there is a need to improve both connection rates and treatment levels in other countries, to ensure improved water quality so the objectives of good ecological status are met.
• Cost-effective measures exist to tackle agricultural pollution and need to be implemented through the WFD, while full compliance with the Nitrates Directive is also required.
• The forthcoming reform of the Common Agricultural Policy provides an opportunity to further strengthen water protection.