Coping with droughts and lack of supply

Two MEPs discuss water.

Richard Seeber

Water is life. Water is a precondition for human, animal and plant life as well as an indispensable resource for the economy. However, water is a scarce resource. Protection of water resources, of water ecosystems and of the water we drink and bathe in is one of the cornerstones of environmental protection. The stakes are extremely high and the issues transcend national boundaries. Concerted action at EU level is necessary to ensure effective protection of this precious resource.

Even though they are closely related to climate change, water issues don't often receive the same attention. Extreme weather conditions have occurred with increasing frequency over the past 30 years, having an indisputable effect on water availability in Europe as well as the wider world. In recent years increased rainfall has caused floods in some parts of Europe, while other areas experience drought and heat waves. As a result of climate change, the extent, frequency and intensity of these acute weather events will continue to increase.

The directive on assessment and management of floods, of which I was the rapporteur for the European Parliament, is already in place. It establishes a process of fighting floods in three steps by preliminary assessment of river basins, drawing flood risk maps and establishing flood risk management plans.

Water scarcity proves to be a more challenging issue. In 2007, the European Economic Area reported that around one-fifth of the EU's population lives in water-stressed countries. The cost of drought over the past 30 years has risen to almost Û100 billion. The time has come to address this phenomenon seriously.

In my opinion, there are three main challenges that the EU should address: extensive, unsustainable and inefficient water consumption and related water waste; the lack of awareness of the problem, and; the lack of an integrated approach.

Europe continues to waste at least 20% of its water. Agricultural activity is responsible for most water abstraction and very often extensive water waste. Industry and the domestic sector follow closely. It is clear that such a situation is unsustainable. Resolute action in curbing our excessive water consumption is therefore needed. One solution would be an effective pricing policy. This would improve price signals and encourage increased efficiency in water use. All water users should bear the internal and external costs of water services equally. Technological innovation should further enhance the positive effects of a proper pricing policy. Investments in water-saving technologies would surely pay off in the future. A study for the European Commission recently estimated the potential for water-saving is around 40% across Europe. A water-friendly culture should be encouraged along with an integrated approach to water policy.

Indeed, developing a responsible water-saving and efficiency culture requires an active awareness-raising policy. Information, education and training are priority areas for action. Measures such as labelling could prove to be an effective way of providing targeted information to the public on water performance and sustainable water management practices.

Finally, the challenge of mainstreaming the issue of water into all related policy sectors needs to be met. A purely sectoral approach will not be so effective. We need a fundamentally different approach to water policy. Only with truly integrated action will water get the attention it deserves.

A proactive water policy is therefore essential. It is high time we took this challenge seriously and provided Europe with real political leadership advocating the move towards a water-efficient and water-saving economy. It is likely that hard choices will be necessary but we should be ready to make them.

• Austrian centre-right (EPP-ED) MEP Richard Seeber is a member of the Parliament's committee on environment, public health and food safety.

Johannes Blokland

In 2003 large parts of Europe suffered from a severe drought. In some European countries this phenomenon is repeated annually. In other European countries it happens far less frequently. In large parts of western and central Europe the 2003 drought was the worst since 1976 (with also a few dry years in the 1990s), which shows the low frequency of drought in those countries.

Last July the European Commission presented a communication on dealing with water scarcity and drought in the EU. The European Parliament will respond to the Commission on this communication in the coming months with a report. Because there still is no formal position of the Parliament on the issue, it is difficult to explain its stance. But that does not mean that the Parliament has never discussed the subject. In a resolution of 14 April 2005 on droughts in Portugal, the Parliament urged the Commission to "submit to the Council and Parliament a proposal for revision of the legal instruments with a view to adapting the existing legislation so that it can be used to help prevent such serious effects from recurring in any subsequent years of repeated drought in southern Europe". Another example is Parliament's call for measures in the resolution of 18 May 2006, on the environmental aspects of natural disasters.

The request of the Parliament for a water scarcity and drought policy (ie directive) originates especially from the southern member states, where drought and water scarcity are a chronic problem. The northern member states feel no need for a directive on water scarcity and drought because shortages are more incidental and temporary.

Article 175 of the EC treaty states that "quantitative management of water resources or affecting, directly or indirectly, the availability of those resources" is subject to unanimous decision-making in the Council. This restricts the EU's powers in the field of quantitative water management. At the moment the important and influential water framework directive is in operation, dealing with qualitative water management.

The Commission's communication of July presents seven main policy orientations which provide a sufficient basis for further debate. One of those seven orientations concerns "putting the right price tag on water" within the legal framework of the water framework directive. I think this is an interesting step to promote the efficient use of water. In a few member states, for example The Netherlands, this 'water pricing' is already practised.

Another orientation is the improvement of drought risk management. The communication states that the water framework directive "has all the necessary flexibility to develop specific drought management plans in relevant river basins" to supplement the existing river basis management plans. Member states already have to integrate flood risks into the river basin management plans, so supplementing them by incorporating drought risks would be valuable. It would be worth recognising, though, the differences in water scarcity and drought risks in the EU member states, so it is important to leave it to the national governments themselves to decide on the vastness of the drought risk management plans.

It remains to be seen what the Parliament will recommend about possible legislation. In my opinion the Commission's communcation is valuable but we have to be cautious in recommending legislation on this issue. It will be difficult to oblige some member states to do something about what they don't experience first hand. In that light it would be better to recommend developing a strategy for coping with drought and water scarcity instead of putting forward one or more directives. Furthermore, there should be a focus on bilateral co-operation among the southern member states in order to provide solutions for the drought and water scarcity problem, based on the strategy. Above all we should not neglect the possibilities within the water framework directive.

• Dutch MEP Johannes Blokland sits for the Independence/Democracy group on the Parliament's environment, public health and food safety committee.

Two MEPs discuss water.