Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2000-09-07-Speech-4-070"
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"en.20000907.2.4-070"2
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".
The framework directive on water has finally been adopted – very welcome news.
Ever since 1997 the European Parliament has been calling for the piecemeal nature of water legislation in Europe to be brought to an end. After nearly four years, these rationalisation attempts have finally borne fruit.
The conciliation between Parliament and the Council of Ministers, the final stage in the legislative procedure, has enabled what I consider a balanced and satisfactory compromise to be reached. The discussions were difficult, but I am happy that the Council finally agreed to make the main objectives of these new rules binding. Our Parliament could not have endorsed a text which was nothing more than a statement of intent.
The PPE/DE Group has always taken an ambitious and realistic stance. In my view, it was essential for this new framework directive to guarantee, in the future and for the sake of future generations, improvements in European water quality.
Henceforth, water management in Europe will be based on the principle of a hydrographical district, a body that goes beyond the administrative boundaries of Member States and takes account of the real water situation in Europe.
The objective is gradually to eliminate discharges of hazardous substances, within 20 years of their identification. That is a realistic compromise between, on the one hand, Mrs Lienemann’s initial position in favour of a zero level of discharges into water and, on the other, the position of the Council, which was opposed to any binding objective. A list of what are called ‘priority’ substances will be submitted to the European Parliament in the near future. That will be a vital step and I hope our Parliament will be able to follow the same line as today.
Under the polluter-pays principle, the Member States will have to incorporate environmental costs in water pricing. That is real progress. Water is a vulnerable and invaluable natural resource. Public health and long-term supplies are at stake just as much as biological diversity and landscape conservation.
For all these reasons, I voted for this text.
Nevertheless, I am sorry that we could not keep the article allowing Member States to transfer water in the form in which we had adopted it at second reading. That kind of project complies with the principle of regional cohesion and solidarity that we have always upheld. In that sense, it deserves strong EU support, in the context of promoting trans-European networks and regional policy."@en1
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