Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2000-02-15-Speech-2-287"
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"en.20000215.11.2-287"2
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"Mr President, through the consolidation of existing directives this framework directive establishes the basic principle of a sustainable water policy in the European Union. It is a framework for the protection and management of our water – surface, ground, transitional and coastal – through the establishment of river basin districts at national and, in our case in Ireland, cross-border level.
Ireland is very supportive of the common position and many of the European Parliament amendments. A 25-year roll-out for legislation, for example, is hardly acceptable. We have no difficulty with the "polluter pays" principle in relation to the recovery of costs on water usage at industrial, commercial and agricultural level. However, I feel very strongly that as water is life and access to clean drinking water is a basic human right, this directive must allow for a basic domestic water provision free of charge, a quota per household for drinking, cooking and sanitation.
We must of course pay for wastage and luxury use at domestic level and the recovery of costs can be balanced accordingly. The introduction of water meters is viewed with great suspicion in Ireland where we have had no domestic water charges and hence no meters since 1977. Meters could be viewed as a very important tool in water management by the new river basin districts, to help the elimination of water wastage and for the proper planning of future requirements.
The whole purpose of this directive is to promote sustainable use of water in the EU. Water is a scarce and precious natural resource. Ideally, I would like Amendment No 45 to fall tomorrow so that the common position on Article 9 would hold on water charges. That would allow for subsidiarity on a cost policy for water charges, with each Member States drawing up its own scheme, so long as the principles of this directive on incentives for sustainable and efficient use of water are fully protected.
If Amendment No 45 does not fall, I will have to move an oral amendment tomorrow to ensure that Member States may grant exemptions to the provisions of this article in order to allow a basic level of water use for domestic purposes before contributions to the recovery of cost of water services.
All legislation must be enforceable and be based on the general principle of political acceptance. I believe that access to clean drinking water without charge is a basic human right in the developed as well as the developing world."@en1
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