Contrast media manufacturers and the medical imaging community will be watching for the outcome of a coming challenge to the Urban Wastewater Treatment Directive (UWWTD) in the European Union (EU) General Court.
The European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations (EFPIA) wants greater clarity on how the EU's decision to target two sectors -- the pharmaceutical and cosmetic industries -- aligns with the "polluter pays" principle.
"The arbitrary decision to hold only pharmaceutical and cosmetics industries responsible for the costs of treating urban wastewater is not only intrinsically unfair, it undermines the ambition of the Green Deal and will fail to incentivise other sectors to reduce micro-pollutants in the water," EFPIA said in a declaration of its intent to challenge the decision before the EU General Court.
EFPIA added that it supports the polluter pays principle that all producers responsible for pollution should be held accountable and bear the costs of pollution that they have caused. The federation also said it has been unable to see the data and methodology the European Commission (EC) used to reach the decision.
"Europe needs environmental legislation that works, where all sectors are incentivised to sustainably reduce micro-pollutants and where the costs of treatment for producers are aligned to the volume of micro-pollutants present in our waters," stated EFPIA director General Nathalie Moll as part of the effort. Moll emphasized that the EU's principles of nondiscrimination, proportionality, and that the polluter pays are not reflected in the directive.
EFPIA member companies have invested in measures to reduce pharmaceutical residues into the environment, including treating water at source, according to the EFPIA. The federation maintains that the majority of pharmaceuticals in the water system stem from people taking medicines and improper disposal of unused and expired medicines.
Concern among the medical imaging community over the additional targeted tax on contrast media manufacturers began late last year. AuntMinnieEurope reported the prospect of a substantial hike in the price of contrast media after the EC approved the revised EU directive on urban wastewater treatment.
Previously, the cost of wastewater clearance was covered by general taxes in individual countries/communities, but the EC went a step further saying producers of pharmaceuticals and cosmetics are the main source of micropollutants in urban wastewater.
