Pesticides have been used in agriculture and urban activities since the 1950s because they are cheap, easy to use and very efficient. But this intensive use has led to diffuse contamination of environmental compartments (air, soil, water). The presence of these molecules can lead to toxic effects for biota or affect human use of water. The implementation of the Water Framework Directive (WFD) requires the use of an efficient monitoring network, based on reliable sampling and analytical techniques. Nowadays, grab sampling followed by extraction of analytes and chromatographic analysis is the most widespread strategy because of its simplicity of implementation but it also has numerous drawbacks. The crux of the issue lies in the lack of temporal representativeness and the low analytical sensitivity. An alternative strategy to overcome some of these problems could be the use of passive samplers. This contribution aims at discussing the possible application of passive samplers in regulatory monitoring programs. After a brief review of the regulatory aspects of the WFD and the main characteristics of passive samplers, two examples of the implementation of a passive sampler (Polar organic chemical integrative sampler or Pocis) in the field are detailed. These field studies showed that Pocis can be adapted to the two components of the WFD, namely surveillance control and operational control, although some regulatory or technical adjustments are still needed. Passive sampling could therefore be used in addition to current practices fora better monitoring of surface water quality. © 2018 Assoc. Generale des Hygienistes et Techniciens Municipaux. All rights reserved.