(4b) Some SOx abatement methods can generate waste, in particular wastewater containing mercury, selenium, and other trace elements that may necessitate treatment of the wastewater before discharge.

37. Calls on the Commission and Member States to ensure the application of the ‘polluter pays’ and ‘user pays’ principles by means of transparent and effective pricing schemes implemented in all water-using sectors that aim at the recovery of the costs of water services, including environmental and resource costs, as set down in the Water Framework Directive; underlines however that social issues should be taken into account when setting water tariffs and that clean water should be available at an affordable price for human needs; furthermore, calls on the Commission and the Member States to assess and revise subsidies harmful for water and to develop and introduce further economic instruments to reduce environmentally-detrimental activit ...[+++]y and incentivise more sustainable use of water resources; stresses that water pricing should reflect the environmental impact of wastewater treatment; notes that, although the political will exists, the economic crisis and restrictions on public spending make it difficult for local and regional authorities to finance greywater treatment projects and therefore calls on the Commission to ensure appropriate financing of wastewater treatment plants; calls on the Commission to develop a strategy for internalising the external costs incurred through water consumption, water pollution and wastewater treatment;

37. Calls on the Commission and Member States to ensure the application of the ‘polluter pays’ and ‘user pays’ principles by means of transparent and effective pricing schemes implemented in all water-using sectors that aim at the recovery of the costs of water services, including environmental and resource costs, as set down in the Water Framework Directive; underlines however that social issues should be taken into account when setting water tariffs and that clean water should be available at an affordable price for human needs; furthermore, calls on the Commission and the Member States to assess and revise subsidies harmful for water and to develop and introduce further economic instruments to reduce environmentally-detrimental activit ...[+++]y and incentivise more sustainable use of water resources; stresses that water pricing should reflect the environmental impact of wastewater treatment; notes that, although the political will exists, the economic crisis and restrictions on public spending make it difficult for local and regional authorities to finance greywater treatment projects and therefore calls on the Commission to ensure appropriate financing of wastewater treatment plants; calls on the Commission to develop a strategy for internalising the external costs incurred through water consumption, water pollution and wastewater treatment;

9. Notes that despite the progress made in the implementation of the Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive, there are still gaps concerning the compliance rates on collecting systems and/or treatment; asks the Commission to provide more support for the financing of waste water treatment plants and small- and large-scale infrastructure for collecting systems in the EU, including the reuse of treated waste water for irrigation and industrial purposes;

Directive 2009/54/EC sets out the EU’s rules on the permitted methods for treatment of natural mineral waters and spring waters.

– (IT) Mr President, page 10 of this report on the implementation of a 1991 European Union directive on urban waste-water treatment states that, in March 2001, out of the 527 agglomerations – that is out of the 527 European Union cities – with more than 150 000 population equivalent, ‘37 discharged all their wastewater into the environment without any treatment, 57 discharged a large part of their wastewater without any, or with inadequate treatment. Another 134 larger agglomerations did not provide the Commission with complete information’.