Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2000-02-15-Speech-2-152"
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"en.20000215.8.2-152"2
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"Mr President, I too would like to start by congratulating Mrs Lienemann on her excellent work.
Water is a basic necessity of life and a fundamental right. Everyone should have clean water at their disposal but the availability and good quality of water is not so self-evident, as many have experienced in Southern Europe and are experiencing now in the Danube countries too.
Water is often a source of conflict between countries and peoples. This is why it is important that water becomes subject to international coordination. We need to recognise that water is a joint liability. Cooperation within a catchment basin must be self-evident. Too little operational capacity upstream or, in fact, excessive use, can cause problems downstream. Coordination is the key word here.
The problem of water is becoming increasingly topical. Changes in the climate and minor rises in temperature have a direct impact on precipitation. Some areas are becoming drier, whilst many are becoming wetter. It is time for action.
In March, the Second World Water Forum will be held in The Hague. This Forum stands for a worldwide vision. This vision must translate into regional action plans for sustainable water management and water control.
The time for action is upon us. The European Parliament must now opt for a sustainable water policy as a starting point and remain realistic at the same time. But we should not lower our standards too much either. The common position is not ambitious enough. This is why it is necessary to refer to previous international agreements, or the OSPAR objectives. We need to aim for dangerous substances to be phased out by 2020. This has been agreed for the marine environment and it is obvious that this agreement will also apply to other waters too.
The OSPAR objectives are now being drawn up. A list has been compiled, containing 400 substances which produce clear risks for the environment. It is both technically and economically possible to reduce the emission of these substances to virtually zero and we need to opt for this once again.
Needless to say, the directive also needs to be binding. Countries downstream must be able to count on the fact that countries upstream meet the quality objectives. Quality has a price, but pollution could well have a much higher price tag in future."@en1
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