Free tap water in Czech restaurants? A new law could make it a reality

Restaurants across Czechia and the whole EU may soon be required to offer tap water at little to no cost as part of sweeping new regulations aimed at reducing waste. The rules, part of the Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR) approved by the EU Council in December, are set to take effect in approximately two years. 

The PPWR encourages EU member states to ensure that restaurants, bars, cafes, and catering services provide tap water for free or for a minimal service fee. Currently, a liter of tap water in Czech restaurants can cost tens of crowns—often pricier than beer.

“We can consider that the customer will have the opportunity to ask for tap water and the restaurant will be obliged to offer it,” said Czech Deputy Minister of the Environment David Surý. He added that discussions are ongoing about whether to cap the price of tap water.

The regulation has met resistance from the hospitality sector. Restaurateurs argue that the mandate could impose additional costs on businesses already struggling with rising expenses.

“The state should not dictate to businesses what to sell and for how much,” said Luboš Kastner, a representative of the catering industry at the Chamber of Commerce. Kastner suggested that lowering VAT on catering services could help offset the financial impact of the new rule.

The tap water provision is part of a broader initiative to minimize waste across various sectors. The regulation also bans single-use packaging in hotels, such as mini shampoos and butter dishes, and eliminates lightweight plastic shopping bags. Additionally, by 2030, shipping containers will be required to contain no more than 50 percent empty space.

The EU aims to reduce packaging waste by 5 percent by 2030, with incremental targets of 10 percent by 2035 and 15 percent by 2040, based on 2018 levels. 

However, industry leaders warn that rising consumption and production levels since 2018 could make these targets difficult to achieve. For example, director of the Syba Packaging Institute Iva Werbynská comments that overall populace trends need to change: "How will we achieve this if people won't buy less and companies won't produce less?" she exclaimed to Czech media outlet Seznam Zprávy.