Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2006-01-17-Speech-2-216"

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". Mr President, the management of water resources in the area of the Mediterranean is a challenge for us all from the point of view both of the quality and the availability of water. The problem of water shortages in the Mediterranean is intensifying due, on the one hand, to the increased demand for water in certain sectors and areas and, on the other hand, to the repercussions of climate change. The next generation of the SΜΑΡ programme, SΜΑΡ 3, will focus on the preparation of overall coastal zone management plans and will make provision for technical assistance to be provided to the Member States' governments. Already various relevant plans are at the signature stage and are expected to last three years from January 2006. As regards climate change, I would like to comment that, from a scientific point of view, it is difficult to maintain that isolated cases of droughts are directly connected to climate change; nonetheless, we know that climate change contributes to more severe phenomena which are manifesting more and more regularly and over larger geographical areas. We requested and have received a report from the EU Joint Research Centre on the links between climate change and water, water shortages and droughts. In general, protection of our water resources is one of the priorities of the environmental policy of the European Union. In fact, the European Union has radically restructured its policy in the water sector with the relevant framework directive. In this way it sent a political message well beyond its territory. One of the basic principles of the European Union's policy in the water sector is cooperation between the regions in various Member States which share common water resources. For this purpose, the so-called EU Water Initiative was adopted, within the framework of which the European Union and its Member States have undertaken to achieve the Millennium Goals as regards the water sector. Following this, the Commission launched a joint procedure between the framework directive and the EU Water Initiative, a procedure which Greece headed for the part of the initiative concerning the Mediterranean. The aim of this cooperation is to facilitate the application of policies of proper administration of water resources in the Mediterranean countries, by adhering to the principles of the Community Water Framework Directive. Consequently, with the Member States of the European Union and third Mediterranean countries working together, working groups have been set up, one of which will address the issue of water shortages, and guidelines will be drafted by the end of this year, which will be addressed both to the countries of the European Union and to the other Mediterranean countries. Measures will also be proposed to prevent and manage water shortages and droughts. Water is one of the priorities of the short-term environmental action plan, known as SΜΑΡ, which is being applied at regional level. Monitoring SMAP actions forms part of the programme and there are reports available for most of these actions. A detailed evaluation of the programme will be scheduled this year and the results will be at your disposal. So far, evidence from the application of SΜΑΡ is positive and is contributing to the promotion and exchange of experiences and best practices, especially in the water sector. Under the SΜΑΡ 2 programme between 2000 and 2005, two of the eight projects – with a Community contribution of EUR 6.2 million – directly concerned water management."@en1

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