Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2000-09-07-Speech-4-068"
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"en.20000907.2.4-068"2
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".
I support the Conciliation Agreement which has been agreed by the European Parliament and the European Council on the Framework Directive on Water. This Directive provides a framework for consolidating legislation which has been in existence at national and European level concerning the whole area of the safety of surface water and ground water. The core elements of this Directive ensure the protection of surface water, coastal water, internal waste and ground water now and into the future.
The European Council, which represents the fifteen Governments of the EU, originally did not include any provisions relating to the elimination of hazardous substances in this new Water Directive. I am supporting this Conciliation Agreement, which guarantees that the elimination of hazardous substances will now feature in this Directive and addresses this imbalance.
From an Irish perspective, we make the working assumption that the elimination of hazardous substances includes the prohibition on discharging radioactive substances as well.
Water pricing was always going to be a sensitive aspect to this Directive. This Directive now calls on Member States to take account of the principle of the recovery of the cost of water services, including environmental and resource costs, in accordance with the polluter-pays principle. Member States must ensure by 2010 that water pricing policies will provide an adequate incentive for users to use water resources efficiently. Member States will be allowed on an exceptional basis to opt out of the obligation of cost recovery if this is based on established national practices.
Water pricing policy is also a taxation issue. Under existing EU Treaties such tax changes require the unanimous support of all EU Governments. It is only right and proper that this matter of taxation is left in the domain of Member States, which must have the final say as to what taxation policies, at local or national level, it wishes to pursue.
As a result of the implementation of this Directive, the safety of water quality standards in Europe will substantially improve."@en1
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