EU member states have transposed the revised Drinking Water Directive into national law, introducing new requirements for the quality and availability of tap water. This is the result of the first ever successful European Citizens' Initiative "Right2Water," which called for improved access to safe drinking water for all, and was signed by 1.6 million people.
European citizens can now be confident that the tap water they are consuming is of the highest standards. The new directive includes updated safety standards, a methodology to identify and manage quality risks in the whole water supply chain, a watchlist of emerging substances, provisions to reduce water leakages, and requirements to improve the protection of human health and of the environment. The new found confidence in tap water can help reduce plastic waste and marine litter due to the fact that citizens no longer need to rely on bottled water.
Source: The European Commission