Von der Leyen could use next week's speech to unveil new legislation
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen is considering proposing new EU water legislation following this summer’s major drought, sources briefed on preparations for her upcoming State of the European Union speech have told Euractiv.
The head of the EU executive uses the annual SOTEU speech to set the policy agenda for the coming year and beyond, with interest groups lobbying intensely to get their causes into the address.
A potential new ‘Water Act’ would have a broader scope than the existing Water Framework Directive, while its planned ‘targeted revision’ would be scrapped, according to two sources briefed by the president’s cabinet. The contours of any new legislation are unclear, however.
Commission officials declined to either confirm or deny the information when contacted by Euractiv, though one acknowledged that the extreme summer weather had underlined the importance of water policy to the EU executive.
