Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2002-03-12-Speech-2-340"
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"en.20020312.14.2-340"2
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"Mr President, honourable Members, I would like to thank the European Parliament, and rapporteur Mrs Sornosa Martínez in particular, for the work which she and Parliament have put into this resolution.
Water is one of the areas which I prioritise in my capacity as Commissioner for the Environment, and I am especially interested in this question. Treated waste water is one of the most important tools for protecting our water and human health.
I have examined the information on the Member States’ implementation of the directive and share very many of the opinions put forward by Parliament in its resolution. Water quality has improved in larger rivers and many lakes but, nevertheless, the majority of Member States have either not done enough or they have acted too late. They have also been late in submitting information on the implementation of the directive, which has slowed down the Commission’s assessment work.
At the Commission, we have used a number of controls to ensure that the directive is implemented. These include traditional controls – including legal measures, which can now also include the imposition of fines – and financial support within the framework of the EU’s funds. We are currently taking proceedings against seven of the 15 Member States, and further proceedings will be brought.
The new controls are focused on raising the level of public awareness and on exchanging skills and information. A year ago, we ran a name, fame and shame seminar. I have also ordered wide-ranging reports on the implementation of the directive. This exceeds what the Commission is legally obliged to do. We think that the reports should be written in a way that is easy to understand and that they should be accessible to the public.
The Commission has already responded to most of the demands in the resolution. This is the case regarding legal measures to ensure that the directive is implemented, the publication of information on implementation of the directive by the Member States, including details of court cases, the condition that the requirements in the directive must be met if financial aid is to be received, the development of a comprehensive monitoring and assessment system linked to the Geographical Information System and, last but not least, cooperation with, and support for, the candidate countries."@en1
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