united-kingdom european-union italy environmental water
Free potable water law in UK and EU
<blockquote>
  <p><a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-39881236" rel="nofollow noreferrer">In Britain, all licensed premises are required by law to provide
  "free potable water" to their customers upon request.</a></p>
</blockquote>

<ul>
<li><p>What legislation covers this?</p></li>
<li><p>Is this the case in other European countries? I am particularly interested in whether this is a legal requirement in Italy.</p></li>
</ul>

<p>In the UK, this is covered in the <a href="http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2014/2440/made" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Licensing Act 2003 (Mandatory Licensing Conditions) (Amendment) Order 2014</a>, which amends the <a href="http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2010/860/made" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Licensing Act 2003 (Mandatory Licensing Conditions) Order 2010</a>.</p>

<p>Mandatory Licensing Condition 2 states:</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>The responsible person must ensure that free potable water is provided on request to customers where it is reasonably available.</p>
</blockquote>

<p>Note that this applies only to premises which are licensed to sell alcohol.</p>

<ul>
<li><strong>France</strong> is an <a href="https://www.merkur.de/leben/genuss/darf-leitungswasser-restaurant-etwas-kosten-8216487.html" rel="nofollow noreferrer">often</a> <a href="https://www.wiwo.de/unternehmen/dienstleister/eu-richtlinie-in-planung-restaurants-sollen-wasser-kuenftig-verschenken/24076510.html" rel="nofollow noreferrer">cited</a> example of a country that mandates restaurants to serve tap water for free,</li>
<li><p>while <strong>Germany</strong> and <strong>Austria</strong> do not have any such legislation.  </p>

<ul>
<li>In <strong>Austria</strong> it is nevertheless more usual than in Germany for restaurants to not charge guests for tap water (according to the linked German newspaper articles).   </li>
<li>In <strong>Germany</strong>, expect to be charged also for tap water - though my last experience in Germany is also: no charge for tap water alongside a big bowl of coffee. </li>
</ul></li>
<li><p>I'm not entirely sure about the legal situation in <strong>Italy</strong>, but the very least it is in my experience customary for restaurants to provide tap water for free (sometimes automatically, sometimes after asking).</p></li>
</ul>

<hr>

<p>There have been some rumours that the EU may mandate free tap water in restaurants and the like, but the AFAIK current status of that <a href="https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=EP:P8_TA(2019)0320" rel="nofollow noreferrer">directive proposal</a> speaks about </p>

<blockquote>
  <p>encouraging [rather than mandating] the free provision of water intended for human consumption in public buildings, restaurants, [...]</p>
</blockquote>
