Brussels, 8 September 2026 – Today, several environmental organisations lodged a formal complaint with the European Ombudswoman, alleging maladministration by the European Commission over its decision to revise the Water Framework Directive (WFD), Europe’s cornerstone water protection law, and one of the EU’s key defences against growing climate extremes.  

In December 2025, the Commission announced it would “review and revise” the Directive as part of its RESourceEU Action Plan, citing the need to facilitate access to critical raw materials. The political decision came without prior assessment and consultation and was purely based on demands from the mining industry, one of the sectors most responsible for polluting our water. 

The NGOs (European Anglers’ Alliance, European Environmental Bureau, Surfrider Foundation Europe, Wetlands International Europe, and WWF European Policy Office) argue that the Commission made this commitment without presenting any evidence that the Directive itself was obstructing mining operations in Europe, and before inclusive and balanced consultation with stakeholders and experts had taken place.  

Only a few years ago, the WFD was subjected to a rigorous Fitness Check and confirmed as fit for purpose after an extensive evidence-based review and wide-ranging consultation with water-using sectors and the public. 

Irene Duque Femenía, Senior Freshwater Policy Officer at Wetlands International Europe (on behalf of the group of NGOs), said: 

“Simply put, this revision comes out of nowhere. It breaks with a long tradition of cooperation and coherent, evidence-based policymaking. It isn’t backed by a shred of public evidence, nor does it respond to any of the recommendations and promises the Commission itself has made.  

By poking holes in our water law to serve an industrial ask, the Commission inverts the legal hierarchy between the two and abandons the promise to “do no significant harm”. We do not agree with the decision to revise nor with the pathway it has chosen to do so – this is the basis of our complaint.”  

When the evidence comes second 

While the Commission announced plans to revise the Water Framework Directive in December 2025, it only launched a Call for Evidence on 17 March 2026. Stakeholders were therefore asked to provide evidence three months after the political decision had already been taken. 

In particular, the Commission’s consultation invited stakeholders to provide evidence of the “bottlenecks” facing the raw materials sector, despite those same bottlenecks having already been used to justify the announced revision.  

The complaint argues that this approach runs counter to the Aarhus Convention and the Commission’s own Better Regulation principles, which require public participation to take place early in decision-making, when all options remain genuinely open. Yet stakeholders were informed that only revision options would be assessed in the subsequent impact assessment process. 

The NGOs also point to evidence emerging since the announcement that raises further questions about the rationale for reopening the law. The Commission’s own guidance on applying the Water Framework Directive to the mining sector, published in May 2026, concluded that existing legislation already provides ample flexibility in permitting for mining projects. Furthermore, mining projects previously cited as examples of being blocked by the Directive, including projects pursued by state-owned Swedish company LKAB and metals and mining multinational Boliden in Sweden, have since been granted permits by national authorities, nullifying those claims.  

Policymakers, listen up 

The NGOs are calling on the Commission to drop the needless and dangerous plans to revise the Water Framework Directive and instead focus on accelerating the effective implementation and enforcement of existing water legislation, which has protected EU waters for the last 25 years.  

After a summer marked by droughts and wildfires across Europe, the coalition argues that, to truly protect European communities from these worsening climate extremes, strengthening water and climate resilience must be the priority, not reopening one of the EU’s most important environmental safeguards to satisfy short-term industry interests.  

ENDS.  

Notes to editors: 

• Guidance on applying the Water Framework Directive to the mining sector (European Commission, May 2026) 
• Briefing Paper: Water Framework Directive review and revision (Living Rivers Europe, March 2026) 
• Article: Europe’s Waterways Under Threat from Mining Lobby (DeSmog) 
• Article: LKAB granted environmental permit for operations in Gällivare (LKAB, June 2026) 
• Article: Boliden given green light to continue operating Aitik mine, permit subject to conditions (Sweden Herald, June 2026) 
• Article: ‘It’s Russian roulette’: alarm as Europe backs critical minerals mines in water-stressed regions (The Guardian)  
• Article: Permission to Pollute: EU rips up permit rules and funds dirty infrastructure (Corporate Europe Observatory, May 2026) 

For further information, please contact:

Ben Snelson, Communications Officer for Water and Agri-Food Systems, benedict.snelson@eeb.org