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The overall objective of the 2018 survey campaign of contaminants of emerging concern in surface waters (continental and coastal) and sediments known as EMNAT 2018, is to provide monitoring data for the emerging contaminants prioritization exercise, which will allow the update of the list of relevant substances to be monitored (SPAS), as part of the future Water Framework Directive (WFD) monitoring programmes (2022). This campaign collected nearly 14,000 data regarding 49 contaminants of emerging concern (32 biocides and 17 surfactants) in surface waters and sediments on 98 sites in mainland France and in the French overseas regions. Linear Alkylbenzene Sulfonic acids (LAS) were the most frequently quantified surfactants and at the highest median concentrations in water and sediment samples, in metropolitan France and in the overseas regions. Fipronil was the most frequently quantified biocide in water samples in metropolitan France and in the overseas regions, but at lower median concentrations than other biocides. Methyl nonyl ketone was the most frequently quantified biocide and at high median concentrations in sediment samples from mainland France and in overseas regions. Based on the available predicted no effect concentrations (PNEC), several contaminants were identified as highly and moderately critical regarding the PNEC exceedance, and will be considered to be included in the SPAS list for the next WFD cycle.