Drinking water in Germany is of the highest quality, which is regulated by the Drinking Water Ordinance and the Technical Regulations for Water and ensured by the water supply companies. Less well known is the fact that materials that come into contact with drinking water also have to meet strict quality standards in order to prevent pollution or contamination of the drinking water. So far, individual European countries have different regulations for materials in contact with drinking water. This will change from 2026. In the European Drinking Water Directive, the EU Commission has specified EU-wide standardisation of the requirements for materials and products in contact with drinking water.
Outlook to the European directive
From 31 December 2026, the national regulations will be replaced throughout Europe by a new EU directive. For products that have a valid national attestation of conformity on 31 December 2026, a transitional period will apply until 31 December 2032. The new EU Directive 2020/2184 will be realized by the following legal acts, which specify regulations and requirements in order to effectively apply the directive in the member states:
• European positive list_(EU) 2024/367
• Methodologies for testing and accepting starting substances to be included in the EU positive list_(EU) 2024/365
• Inclusion of starting substances the EU positive list_(EU) 2024/369
• Procedures and methods for testing and accepting final materials_(EU) 2024/368
• Conformity assessment procedures_(EU) 2024/370
• Specifications for the marking of products_(EU) 2024/371
As the national evaluation criteria of the German Environment Agency (UBA) are already oriented towards the new EU directive, the main parts of the tests remain the same. Important additions in the new EU regulations are the GC-MS screening for determination of unexpected substances and the migration test with chlorinated test water in cold water range. The EU positive list is based on the current national positive lists, however all entries have an expiry date. The period of validity of the entries is specified for the respective substance; the manufacturer has to apply for re-assessment in time.
What is new compared to the national evaluation criteria documents (UBA)
• Certification for all materials and products becomes mandatory from 01.01.2027 (Attestation of conformity of hygiene suitability).
• Following EU regulation, migration testing according to EN 12873-1 in cold water will be done in chlorinated and unchlorinated water.
• To test for unexpected substances in the migration water, GC-MS screening is carried out according to EN 15768.
• Attestations of conformity of hygiene suitability for assembled products can also be attained according to the new guidelines.
• Attestations of conformity of hygiene suitability will be issued in addition to the type examination certificate.
TZW is well-prepared for the new regulations
TZW is accredited for all necessary tests and has expanded its testing capacities with regard to the future EU regulations. Therefore, tests in accordance with the new EU regulations can already be carried out now. TZW is in close contact with European certification bodies and test laboratories and offers you expert guidance. The Head of Test Centre Dr Johannes Ruppert is chairman of the expert group test laboratories which discusses all topics round about the testing in accordance to the EU-regulation. TZW inspectors are appointed by the DVGW certification body to carry out inspections in the context of DVGW certification (System 1+).
Further information
Flyer TZW SHORT INFO - The New EU-Regulation for Materials and Products in Contact with Drinking Water (pdf file)
Blog article Requirements for plastics and other organic materials in contact with drinking water (Link)
Services TZW Test Centre (Link)
