Official positions

Proposal for the revision of the Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive

The City of Gothenburg supports and welcomes the purpose and overall ambition of the European Commission update of the Urban Wastewater Treatment Directive . The current directive is over 30 years old and should be updated in many regards; it must be modernised, to be in line with current treatment technologies as well as scientific discoveries, and its targets should, in some cases, become more stringent.

At the same time, the directive should be flexible and consider both local conditions and local needs, that have arisen after 1991 and will impact the directive's implementation.

Access the full position here.

Clean Energy Package

The Energy Union and the proposals linked to the clean energy package are of great importance for the city of Gothenburg and we have worked actively to ensure that legislative proposals were in line with the aims of the city. Gothenburg has been actively involved in the debate with regards to the revision of the energy efficiency directive, the energy performance of buildings directive as well as the renewable energy directive, including through the Celsius Project.

Gothenburg welcomed the ambitions of the revisions and the proposal for binding targets at EU level of 30 percent energy efficiency and 27 percent renewable energy by 2030. Gothenburg called for more focus on the system perspective and less on detailed regulation. Renewable energy should not be counted as energy efficiency as this can reduce the incentive to apply true energy efficiency measures and as a result risk to increase the total energy use.

The city also asked for the energy and climate impact in the construction process to be taken into account.

The City of Gothenburg has shared voting recommendations in the following instances:

• City of Gothenburg’s recommendations for amendments on the proposals for a revised energy efficiency Directive and the revised energy performance of buildings Directive 
  
• City of Gothenburg’s recommendations for amendments on the proposal for a revised energy efficiency Directive
• City of Gothenburg’s recommendations for amendments to the Proposal for a revised renewable energy Directive

Drinking water and Waste

The city provides drinking water to more than half a million inhabitants. We have very high-quality requirements and the drinking water is one of our most controlled foods. In the EU’s proposal for a directive on the quality of water, Gothenburg welcomed the risk-based approach based on safety classes but highlighter a certain number of potential threats in the proposal. For example, Gothenburg called for the need for clear requirements when it comes to handling of material and products in contact with drinking water. 

In the case of the revision of the EU Waste Legislation, the city was in general positive about the proposed changes but urged for operational waste to be included in the targets and review the targets for landfills. The city has a long experience of recycling and many innovative waste management systems, including a highly efficient system of incinerating waste to make electricity and heat as well as a 100% fossil free fleet for waste Collection.

The City of Gothenburg has shared voting recommendations in the following instances:

• City of Gothenburg’s recommendations for amendments on the proposal for a directive on the quality of water intended for human consumption 2017/0332 (COD)
• City of Gothenburg’s recommendations for amendments on the Revision of EU Waste Legislation in the frame of the Circular Economy Package
• City of Gothenburg’s view on the amendments put forward by the ENVI Committee members on the Revision of EU Waste Legislation.