The Revised Urban Wastewater Treatment Directive: Insights and Q&A
Online Webinar
The revised Urban Wastewater Treatment Directive entered into force on the first of January 2025 meaning the transposition into national law should be effective before June 30, 2027.
To understand more the final version of the text and its implication, the European Water Association has invited Michel Sponar, Deputy Head of Unit at the European Commission, Directorate General for the Environment to hold a presentation of the text and to exchange on the ideas and expectation behind this text.
The presentation was followed by the comments from the EWA Secretariat and a Q&A with the participants.
You can find the recording of the webinar below.
Speaker of the Webinar
Michel SPONAR, is working since December 2015 as Deputy Head of Unit at the European Commission, Directorate General for the Environment. He is co- leading a team of 22 persons dealing with Marine Environment and Clean Water Services. His team is involved in several files such as the revision of the Drinking Water Directive, the review of the Urban Wastewater Treatment Directive and of the Bathing Water directive but also the implementation of the Marine Strategy Framework Directive.
Before joining the water Unit, he was involved in the preparation of the package on Circular Economy with a focus on the review of the targets of the Landfill, the Packaging and the Waste Framework Directives. From 2002 to 2007, he was Member of the team in charge of the preparation, adoption and follow up of the Thematic Strategy on Air Pollution.
Between 1991 and 2002, he was Deputy Head of the Minister’ Cabinet for the Environment at the Brussels Region – in charge of municipal waste management, wastewater management, air and climate, environmental permitting and inspection. He also worked during 3 years in the Seychelles and Madagascar in development projects related with rural development and environment.
His background is Bio Engineer (Scientific education) with a complement in Business Management.