Brussels, 03/07/2012 (Agence Europe) - The European Parliament wants the European Commission and its member states to ensure proper application of the EU Water Directive, which is not being applied in the correct manner and will therefore not achieve its aim of good quality water management by 2015. The EP is, in addition, calling for more over-arching and joined-up policies to ensure proper protection and sustainable management of water resources. Following the recommendations of rapporteur Richard Seeber (EPP, Austria), MEPs passed a resolution on Tuesday 3 July by show of hands laying down a raft of measures needed, they say, to preserve what is a common asset for humanity, access to which should be a fundamental and universal right (see EUROPE 10626).
The recommended measures include reducing water consumption (a top priority, says the EP), an EU audit of water supplies, encouraging investment in infrastructure to mend leaks, transparent water charging systems based on the polluter pays system and taking account of the impact of water charges on society in general, a wise environmental and business plan for sewage and waste water treatment to tackle pollution at source, metering water usage for all users and urgently revising or phasing out damaging subsidies for water protection and quality.
The EP says that in light of the huge risks involved in prospecting for and extracting schist gas in terms of the impact on surface and subterranean water supplies, the Commission must ensure that schist gas prospection and drilling is subject to a prior environmental impact assessment as laid down in the EU directive on assessment of environmental impact. The resolution is the EP's contribution to the water resource protection programme for Europe, currently under preparation at the European Commission and due to be unveiled in November, which will highlight gaps in current legislation and future prospects and will also suggest how water management should develop from now until 2020.
Contradictory messages. The WWF says the EP is sending out contradictory messages. Sergey Moroz, Water Policy Officer at the WWF http://fis.com/fis/companies/details.asp?l=e&filterby=companies&company= wwf&page=1&company_id=156106&country_id= European Policy Office, commented: “The European Parliament report is a mixed bag of contradictory messages. For example it calls for mainstream water protection in the common agricultural policy, while at the same time it asks for sufficient water resources to be mobilised for agriculture. This is simply not possible in many water basins in Europe that are already under stress.” He said the top priority should be ensuring there's enough water in ecosystems for them to keep working and supplying water for farming and other purposes.
On 3 July, the European Parliament adopted a report expressing its views on how EU water policy should be implemented. This report is published at a time when it becomes clear that the 2015 target of good water status across the EU will not be met and the EU is reassessing its water policy.
The report recognises that the implementation of the Water Framework Directive needs to be improved significantly. But when it comes to specific recommendations to address the EU's water challenges, such as over abstraction for agriculture, the Parliament fails to take clear positions and to provide long term solutions. (AN/transl.fl)