Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2003-10-20-Speech-1-073"

Predicate	Value (sorted: default)
rdf:type	lpv_eu:Speech2
dcterms:Date	"2003-10-20"^^xsd:date2
dcterms:Is Part Of	lp_eu:Bathing water2
dcterms:Language	"nl"^^xsd:language2
lpv:document identification number	"en.20031020.5.1-073"2
lpv:hasSubsequent	lp_eu:2003-10-20-Speech-1-0742
lpv:speaker	lp:Ria Oomen-ruijten2
lpv:spokenAs	member; EPP-ED (1999-07-20--2004-07-19)3 member; Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Consumer Policy (2002-01-17--2004-07-19)3 substitute; EMPL (2002-01-17--2004-07-19)3 substitute; Committee on Women's Rights and Equal Opportunities (2002-01-17--2004-07-19)3 unknown; Christen Democratisch Appèl (1999-07-20--2004-07-19)3 vice-chair; Delegation for relations with South Africa (2002-02-07--2004-07-19)3
lpv:translated text	"Mr President, first of all, I should like to congratulate the rapporteur warmly on the conclusion in his explanatory statement. He states, namely, that proactive water policy has a positive impact on the well-being of recreational water users, and I could not agree with him more. He also ties this in with a better provision of information for the recreational water users. I think that the directive should definitely be revised in this area. Casting my mind back, however, I notice that we still have problems with the old bathing water directive. I still remember the nightly debates in the Dutch Lower Chamber, when we discussed the introduction of the then directive. It has to be said that, at present, infringement proceedings are still pending against the Netherlands by the European Commission, because the quality of our inland bathing waters is not up to standard. There are also major discrepancies in Europe. In the Netherlands, there are 557 designated inland bathing waters, in Great Britain only eleven; there are nine in Ireland and four in Greece. Stricter quality is now being enforced – I have nothing against stricter quality – and Parliament would like to extend the directive's scope to include all forms of recreation. However, if we want to protect all recreational water users who ingest water at European level, then I think we are going one step too far, even if I would want to give these tourists, these recreational water users, these bathers nothing but the best quality. With these higher standards, I think that many of our bathing waters will no longer receive the 'bathing water' label, at any rate not in the Netherlands. I think, then, that we should all take another good look at the amendments and ask ourselves how much we would exactly stand to gain from them. Things have to improve, we need better information and more streamlined legislation, but I think that the introduction of higher standards at this moment in time, given the proceedings that are still pending, is taking matters too far."@en1

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