Egualia urges Italian government to pause EU wastewater directive implementation

Egualia, an association representing accessible pharmaceutical industries, has called on the Italian government to suspend the implementation of the European directive on urban wastewater treatment. The request follows recent conclusions from Juliane Kokott, an Advocate General at the Court of Justice of the European Union, regarding a legal challenge brought by Poland.

The legal dispute concerns the Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) system, which would require pharmaceutical and cosmetic companies to cover at least 80% of the costs for quaternary wastewater treatment. The Advocate General has proposed that the Court should consider annulling these provisions.

Industry representatives argue that the current model could make essential, low-cost medicines—specifically off-patent, generic, and biosimilar drugs—economically unsustainable due to high volumes and low profit margins. While the Ministry of Environment and Energy Security has already begun discussions on implementing the directive, Egualia urges a pause until a final ruling is issued by the Court.