New EU-wide protections against PFAS in drinking water come into effect

January 12, 2026

Read the full article (European Commission)

"Under new rules entering into application today (Jan 12), Member States must monitor, in a harmonised way, per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) levels in drinking water to ensure compliance with the new EU limit values under the recast Drinking Water Directive.

They will also have to inform the Commission of these monitoring results. This includes data on exceedances of the limit values, incidents and any granted derogations.

The new reporting system is simpler than under the previous Drinking Water Directive and reduces the amount of data to be reported. It is the first time systematic monitoring of PFAS in drinking water is being implemented in the EU."