Revised Urban Wastewater Treatment Directive entered into force
The Directive was first adopted in 1991 and has been instrumental in improving the quality of water bodies across the EU. However, after more than 30 years, the Directive needed a general overhaul to address new sources of urban pollution, which have become more dominant (such as smaller cities, decentralised facilities or stormwater). New pollutants have also emerged including microplastics or micropollutants (such as pharmaceuticals or cosmetics).
The updated rules require systematic monitoring of microplastics, PFAS and public health parameters. This will support quick decision-making in case of a public health emergency. Furthermore, the management of stormwater in towns and cities will be improved and a stronger reuse of treated water will be promoted. This can help to ensure that no valuable resources are wasted, helping to protect water supplies in water-stressed regions. In line with the “polluter pays” principle, the UWWTD ensures that the costs of advanced treatment will mostly be covered by the responsible industry.
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European Parliament appoints members of the Special Committee on Affordable Housing
Last Thursday, the European Parliament announced the names of the members who will sit in the new Special Committee on Affordable Housing, called “HOUS”. There are altogether 33 members.
The HOUS special committee will hold its constitutive meeting either on Thursday 30 January or Monday 3 February, at which point its 12-month term will start. During this first meeting, the committee will elect its leadership bureau (Chair and Vice-Chairs). It is expected that the Chair will come from the S&D group.
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MOBICCON Workshop, Save the date: 17 February 2025
The partners of the EU project MOBICCON-PRO (funded by Horizon Europe) are organising a conference “Building the Future: EU and US Perspectives on Innovations, Technology Deployment, Circular Construction and Sustainable Energy”, which will be held in Brussels on 17 February 2025.
The event will show the progress the project has made in the first two years, bringing together experts to share insights on innovations, circularity and sustainable construction from both EU and US perspectives.
More information will follow in the coming days.
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19 March 2025, Conference in Zagreb:
Registration open!
FIEC, together with HUP (Hrvatska udruga poslodavaca – Croatian Employers’ Association) and EIC (European International Contractors) are pleased to invite you to their joint Conference on “Third country bids in Public Procurement: Towards a fair Construction market” which will be held in Zagreb on 19 March, 2024 (09:00 – 13:30 local time).
For further details and to download the draft programme, go to this link.
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