Brussels, 18/05/2010 (Agence Europe) - A new report by the European Commission on water shortages and drought in the EU published on Tuesday 18 May explains that the member states have made no progress in the management of water and have not improved water collection and storage or measures to combat climate change. This provides the Commission with further ammunition in its calls for proper metering of water usage and appropriate pricing. In 2012, the Commission will be revising its policies to combat water shortages.
EU Environment Commissioner Janez Potoènik said that the EU's water policy, more than any other field of activity, had to meet sustainable development criteria because it was not possible to borrow future generations' water.
The Commission's report reveals that all southern EU countries are now permanently afflicted by water shortages and there is also a shortage of water in whole regions of the Czech Republic. Water resources are over-exploited in Belgium and France.
The Commission is concerned about the way the countries the worst affected by drought and water shortages are lagging behind in their implementation of the EU Water Directive. The deadline for member states to submit water management programmes was in March 2010 but some countries haven't even started initial consultations. (A.N/transl.fl)