France in Court for exceeding nitrate norms in drinking water

In seven regions in France drinking water exceeds the norms for nitrate concentration. That is why the European Commission decided the 25^th of July to refer France to the European Court of Justice. In France, over a long period of time, the drinking water supplied to parts of the population exceeded the maximum nitrate concentration.

The nitrate norms are set in the Drinking Water Directive to protect human health against the harmful effects of contaminated drinking water. Danish research shows nitrate in drinking water is suspected of increasing the risk of colon and rectal cancer. The study from Aarhus University showed there is a correlation between the concentration of nitrate and colon and rectal cancer even if the concentration is much smaller than the European norm of 50 milligram per litre.

Seven regions do not comply with the Drinking Water Directive

According to a Press Release of the European Commission drinking water in France exceeds the norms for nitrates drinking water. The Member State did not comply with the norms in 107 water supply zones in seven regions, namely Bourgogne-Franche-Comté, Centre-Val de Loire, Grand Est, Hauts-de-France, Île-de-France, Occitanie, and Pays de la Loire.

Insufficient efforts to improve the situation

The Commission sent a letter of formal notice to France in October 2020. This was followed by a reasoned opinion in February 2023. The European Commission considers that efforts by the French authorities to fully addressed the grievances have, to date, been insufficient and is therefore referring France to the Court of Justice of the European Union.

Drinking water Directive

The Drinking Water Directive improves the protection of human health through up-to-date water quality standards, tackling pollutants of concern such as endocrine disruptors and microplastics, ensuring high quality water from the tap for all EU citizens. The most recent revision of the Directive also includes new provisions that require Member States to improve and maintain access to drinking water for all, as well as provisions on Member States’ water leakage levels.