The departure of the United Kingdom from the European Union has had a series of consequences. Among them, that the nation has disassociated itself from European environmental regulations. While it was part of it, it had to comply with the Water Framework Directive, which requires member states to draw up river basin management plans to achieve good environmental status. Now that it has left the bloc, it has chosen to lower its water quality standards despite being a signatory to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.
The UK has a combined sewerage system where both rainwater and wastewater go through the same pipes to a treatment plant. When it rains a lot, to prevent flooding, they discharge excess wastewater directly into the sea and rivers.
Faced with this situation, French MEPs have asked the European Commission to take action to stop British dumping of raw sewage into shared waters.
The three main French deputies of the European Parliament signaled on Wednesday in a letter addressed to the EU that they fear that marine biodiversity and the activities of the fishing and shellfish sector will be harmed.
Stéphanie Yon-Courtin MEP said she was shocked by the rise in cases of sewage overflowing from Britain, seeping directly into the sea.
In this regard, he pointed out that “it is totally despicable and symptomatic of the current government of Boris Johnson”. In addition, he added that “only 33 km of water separates Great Britain from France and the currents could bring us this black water. It’s like the Chernobyl cloud, but in the sea.”
“We cannot allow the environment, the economic activity of our fishermen and the health of citizens to be seriously threatened by the UK’s repeated negligence in the management of its wastewater,” Yon-Courtin said in a press release. .
Lawmakers called on the Commission to “use all political and legal means at its disposal” to find a solution, accusing the UK of breaching its post-Brexit trade deal with the EU. They said that while the UK is no longer bound by EU environmental standards, it is still a signatory to the UN convention on maritime rights and is obliged to protect shared seawater.
The European Commission said it had so far not contacted London about the complaints. “We will pursue the matter as appropriate,” Commission spokeswoman Dana Spinant said Thursday.
For its part, Britain’s Conservative government has dismissed the criticism, saying it has strengthened water quality regulations since Brexit. “We have already enacted a law for water companies to reduce the frequency and volume of wastewater discharges.” “Our next storm surge discharge reduction plan will require water companies to deliver the most great in the history of water companies”, he concludes.
