Recital (5)

As reported in the Commission assessment of 4 February 2025 on the implementation of Directive 2000/60/EC based on the Member States’ third river basin management plans, the Union’s water resources remain under severe pressure due to structural mismanagement, unsustainable land use, hydro-morphological changes, pollution, climate change, increased demand for water and urbanisation. The most significant pressures on surface water bodies in all reporting Member States are, in descending order of the percentage of water bodies affected: pollution from atmospheric deposition, hydro-morphological changes stemming from drainage and irrigation for agriculture, hydropower, flood protection, navigation or drinking water supply, and pollution from agriculture. Similarly, the biggest pressures on groundwater bodies are, first, diffuse agricultural pollution, for example from the use of pesticides and fertilisers, and second, in descending order, abstraction for public water supply, for agriculture, for industrial use and for other purposes. Addressing those combined pressures is essential to ensure the sustainable management and protection of water bodies. This requires integrated approaches that promote the reduction of pollution at source and the remediation of existing pollution, the restoration of ecosystems, the adoption of efficient water-use technologies, and the implementation of sustainable practices across sectors. Member States should strengthen the coordination between water and sectorial policies to reduce negative impacts on water resources and support the achievement of good ecological, quantitative and chemical status as set out in Directive 2000/60/EC.