Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2008-10-08-Speech-3-248"
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"en.20081008.24.3-248"2
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"Mr President, I would first of all like to thank the Commission for finally presenting a document on the problem of drought and water scarcity, which we have been calling for in Parliament for some time now. Especially having seen how cases of major floods have been dealt with in a way that we felt was right and sufficient, but it has always been forgotten that in other places drought is becoming a structural problem and that the problem of water scarcity has not only social effects but also economic effects, and has an even greater impact on all aspects of sustainability.
I must congratulate the rapporteur, Mr Seeber, on his excellent work, and also thank him for his active participation in and presence at the debates for European Environment Day at the International Expo 2008 in my city, Zaragoza.
I must thank him for this because at the Expo, the European Union was able, through Mr Seeber, to express its concern about water sustainability and to set out the needs and problems that affect the European Union, from the perspective of the Union and the European Parliament.
I also have to say that we now know that water scarcity problems are very much linked with the cycle of the fight against climate change, as we know that in that cycle, unrestrained deforestation and urban development are contributing to growing water scarcity, and therefore the authorities concerned need to pay heed to water-related considerations in their land-use planning, especially in connection with the development of economic activities in increasingly sensitive river basins.
On this aspect, as the Commission proposes in principle, we advocate establishing a hierarchy of water uses and, as Mr Seeber acknowledges in his report, we do not, of course, think that diverting water over long distances should, under any circumstances, be the solution to the problem of water scarcity.
On the contrary, our point of reference should always be correctly applying the Water Framework Directive, as a framework for achieving a good status for all European waters, respecting river basin units as well as objectives for improving quality.
As Mr Seeber’s report rightly acknowledges, there are losses of up to 50% in cities and 20% water losses in Europe in general. Through various mechanisms and technologies and new forms of water saving and water efficiency, it would be possible to save 40%.
In order to do this, we need to promote sustainable water use, protection of available water resources and their efficient and sustainable use.
We therefore welcome the proposals to keep the European Drought Observatory within the framework of the European Environment Agency and for a network of cities to encourage sustainable water use."@en1
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