From the Spanish Blue Community AEOPAS – Asociación Española de Operadores Públicos de Abastecimiento y Saneamiento:
AEOPAS has submitted comments on the public consultation regarding the transposition of Directive (EU) 2024/3019, concerning urban wastewater treatment.
Our position is clear: greater environmental ambition, yes; but with funding, proportionality, and a real capacity for compliance.
The future law must take into account the realities of small municipalities, strengthen inter-municipal governance, guarantee a national implementation program for 2027-2045, and ensure that new costs—especially those arising from quaternary treatment—are not automatically passed on to municipal rates.
Sanitation is public health, environmental protection, climate resilience, and territorial cohesion.
Complying with the new Directive requires more than just obligations: it requires planning, funding, and cooperation.
“This is not about lowering the Directive’s environmental ambition, but about ensuring that Spain can comply with it with funding, proportionality, and legal certainty.”
