The minister says that Flanders has made progress in recent decades, including through investments in sewerage, water purification and water management. But the gap with the European objectives remains too large, it sounds. For example, Flanders must be able to demonstrate that it is making every effort to achieve the objectives of the European Water Framework Directive, when the implementation period of the current river basin management plan ends at the end of 2027.
“If we want to convince Europe that Flanders is indeed working hard on better water quality, then everyone must join in: government, agriculture, industry, nature, local authorities and water managers. Otherwise, we will be looking at serious legal uncertainty from 2027 and possibly even a permit freeze,” Brouns concludes.