EU Water Directive 2026: new priority substances and how this affects Serbian exporters

On February 17, 2026, the Council of the EU formally adopted the so-called “Water Package”. This package amends three directives at once: the Water Framework Directive, the Groundwater Directive and the Directive on Environmental Quality Standards. The final vote of the European Parliament is expected at the end of March 2026.

Serbia is a signatory to the Danube River Protection Convention (ICPDR), which covers the entire Danube basin. Companies that discharge industrial wastewater into rivers in this basin are already in regulatory interaction with standards that overlap with WFD requirements.

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What is the Water Package?

The EU Water Directive 2026 (Water Package) changes the lists of priority substances that member states must monitor in surface water and groundwater. In addition, it introduces new limit values – the so-called Environmental Quality Standards (EQS) – for a number of substances.

The deadline for transposition into national legislation is December 21, 2027.

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Which substances were added to the priority list?

This is the heart of the change. The list has been expanded in four key categories.

PFAS — “forever chemicals”
For surface water, a standard has been introduced for the sum of 24 PFAS substances. TFA (trifluoroacetic acid), a breakdown product of certain PFAS, has also been added separately. Companies that use PFAS in their processes are now under increased regulatory pressure.

Pesticides
A total-sum standard for pesticides in surface water has been introduced, set at 0.2 µg/L. This supplements the individual standards that were already in force.

Pharmaceuticals
For the first time, specific pharmaceuticals have been included in the list of priority substances. They include diclofenac (EQS: 0.04 µg/L), analgesics, anticonvulsants and antibiotics. Pharmaceuticals reach water bodies via municipal and industrial wastewater.

Bisphenol A
Bisphenol A has been designated a priority hazardous substance. This is not just monitoring – it means the progressive reduction and phase-out of emissions. Bisphenol A is already on the SVHC list under REACH, so this change confirms a clear regulatory direction.

In addition, microplastics and antimicrobial resistance have been added to the “Watch” list as substances under monitoring, which is the step before formal inclusion.

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What is really new: assessing combined effects

Besides the expanded list, the Water Package also introduces assessment of the combined effect of mixtures of substances in surface water. Until now, the principle was: each substance separately. Now it is taken into account that different substances together can have a greater effect than each one on its own.

This is scientifically well founded. On the regulatory side, it will be the subject of further technical guidance.

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Compliance deadlines

What	Deadline
Transposition into the national legislation of EU member states	December 21, 2027
Compliance for newly added substances	2039
Compliance for substances with stricter EQS	2033

These are the deadlines for EU member states. The Serbian framework has its own deadlines.

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The link with REACH, CLP and SDS authoring

The changes to the WFD list are not isolated from the rest of EU chemicals legislation.

ECHA’s OSOA package (One Substance, One Assessment), which entered into force on January 1, 2026, standardizes the assessment of substances across REACH, the WFD and other regulatory systems. The result: a change in a substance’s status in one system increasingly has consequences in another.

For SDS authors, this has concrete practical significance. Section 12 of the safety data sheet covers ecotoxicological information and status in the aquatic environment. If the substances you document are PFAS, bisphenol A or pharmaceuticals – the new WFD list is relevant information for Section 12.

In addition, ECHA’s SEAC is working on its final opinion on the PFAS restriction under REACH Annex XVII. The final opinion is expected by the end of 2026. The combination of WFD and REACH measures for PFAS will be one of the biggest regulatory events in the coming years.

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Serbia: what does this mean in practice?

Serbia has its own regulatory framework for water protection — the Law on Waters (Official Gazette of RS, Nos. 30/2010-81, 93/2012-27, 101/2016-9, 95/2018-388, 95/2018-267 (other law)) and the Regulation on limit values for priority and priority hazardous substances that pollute surface waters. The Serbian list is based on an older EU list.

The Serbian list will not be updated automatically. But that does not mean Serbian companies are out of reach of this change.

Three scenarios where it is directly relevant:

1. Exports to the EU / EU partners in the supply chain – EU customers and partners apply EU EQS standards. This is reflected in the requirements placed on your SDSs and on your chemical risk assessment.
2. Discharges into transboundary water bodies – Companies that discharge industrial wastewater into rivers flowing towards the EU are already in regulatory interaction with WFD requirements through international water protection agreements.
3. Harmonization of Serbian legislation – Based on the pattern of harmonization in the chemicals field so far, the Serbian regulation on priority substances in water will be aligned with EU standards – probably in the 2027–2029 period.

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What should be done now?

There is no reason to panic. But there are four concrete steps.

Step 1: Check whether your substances include PFAS, bisphenol A, diclofenac or active substances in pesticides. If so – follow the regulatory changes.

Step 2: Review Section 12 of the SDSs for those substances. Check whether the ecotoxicological information and status in the aquatic environment reflect the current regulatory context.

Step 3: Follow ECHA’s activities on the PFAS restriction. SEAC’s final opinion is due by the end of 2026.

Step 4: Follow the Official Gazette of RS for amendments to the Regulation on priority substances in water.

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Conclusion

The EU Water Directive 2026 changes the regulatory landscape for the chemical industry — not tomorrow, but irreversibly. PFAS, bisphenol A and pharmaceuticals are now part of the EU list of priority substances in water. The link with REACH, CLP and SDS authoring is real.

For Serbian companies, the question is not whether this will come. The question is when, and how prepared you are.