Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2000-02-16-Speech-3-090"
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"en.20000216.7.3-090"2
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"It is with the greatest satisfaction that I welcome this ambitious proposal for a framework directive on water policy.
The ecological disaster on the banks of the Danube is a reminder, as if we needed one, that all too often human negligence jeopardises natural resources such as water.
The objective of this proposal for a directive, which dates back to 1997, is to put an end to the fragmentation of previous water legislation and protect surface water, coastal waters, inland waters and groundwater. It provides a framework within which we can prevent any further deterioration, protect ecosystems, promote sustainable water use, help to fight floods and drought and gradually eliminate the disposal of dangerous substances. Specific directives will then be adopted within this framework.
The procedure involved in drafting this text was lengthy. The proposal for a directive was amended twice, first in 1997 and then in 1998. A technical working party made up of Council and Parliament representatives met in January 1999 to try and reconcile the positions of the two institutions. However, the Committee on the Environment has tabled numerous amendments, most of which I support.
As far as the timetable and objectives are concerned, the Council’s objective is to achieve good quality surface water within 16 years of the entry into force of the directive, while the Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Consumer Policy wants this reduced to 10 years. The committee is also calling for an end to discharges or leaks of dangerous substances by 2020, the final objective being to achieve zero input by 2020.
The Council hopes to achieve good quality groundwater within 16 years, but the Commission wants no further deterioration in the chemical status of groundwater so that good quality groundwater can be achieved in 10 years. All the standards and all the objectives relating to protected zones should be achieved within 10 years, not 16. I must say that I support these reduced deadlines, especially as provision is made for derogations.
As far as costs are concerned, I approve the proposal whereby Member States will have to ensure by 2010 that water pricing policies provide incentives for more sensible use of water resources. I likewise expect the European Commission to make a clear declaration undertaking to submit a proposal to ensure that water pricing policies reflect the environmental costs and the costs in terms of resources by 2012.
I will close by quoting one of the amendments tabled by the Committee on the Environment, which needs no further comment: “Water is not a commercial product like any other but, rather, a heritage which belongs to the peoples of the European Union and which must be protected, defended and treated as such”."@en1
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