Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2001-03-15-Speech-4-015"
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"en.20010315.3.4-015"2
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"Mr President, we are not here to criticise a particular country or a particular government. I think that we are here to try to provide some answers and, more importantly, to be able to discuss with the Commission a particularly important subject, which is the uneven distribution of water resources on European territory, which is related to variations in geographical, geological and climatic conditions, but which also results from human activity such as urbanisation, deforestation and pollution.
With regard to uneven distribution, it is logical to consider the possibility of carrying out water transfers in some regions. It is unacceptable to let some areas run dry, when other areas have adequate resources to help them.
The European Parliament mentioned this idea in January 1998 in its resolution on the technological feasibility of trans-European hydraulic networks.
My fellow Members in the European Parliament and I believed, quite rightly in my view, that trans-European hydraulic networks, which would carry out large scale inter basin water transfers, could perhaps be an appropriate solution, enabling water resources to be shared within the European Union. In addition, however, and it is important to stress this, it is obviously completely out of the question to take over a Member State’s water resources unless that Member State gives its express consent.
Almost three years after the vote on this resolution, questions are still being asked. Basically, the European Union has no experience at all in establishing such networks. In order to bridge this gap, prospective studies should be carried out on the feasibility of this work, as well as an analysis of the physical impact that this type of trans-European hydraulic network would have on aquatic environments and other areas protected under Community legislation.
To this day, information on possible conclusions of these studies has not been passed on to us. I find this deplorable, and I do not know if the Commission will have anything to tell us today about this matter.
It is also important to bear in mind the irreversible nature of any projects that might be undertaken. It is hard to imagine these facilities being challenged in the short or medium term.
It is, therefore, essential to investigate every possible way of improving existing structures and, wherever possible, to apply the principle that it is advisable, first and foremost, to optimise our water management, rather than to invest money. It is, therefore, important, in the long term, to establish a system in which responsibility is assigned for the quantity and quality of the water transferred, if there is a need for it to be transferred, and to establish a process to monitor this.
Lastly, and I am in agreement with my fellow Member on this particular point, we have the framework directive on water, which has come into force. We must ensure that it is implemented correctly in national law and that it is respected in the potential and more technical context of water transfers being carried out between Member States."@en1
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