Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2006-06-12-Speech-1-110"
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"en.20060612.18.1-110"2
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"Mr President, first my thanks to the European Parliament, the Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety and the rapporteur, Mrs Klaß, for the excellent work they have done within the framework of the second reading of this proposal.
I absolutely agree that clean water is more important and more valuable than diamonds. There is unquestionably a need for there to be an effective system of protecting the quality of groundwater as a natural resource, in order to meet the need for drinking water, for industry and for agriculture.
Groundwater is also of great environmental value. It is a fundamental component in the water cycle and, consequently, must be protected, including in respect of the surface waters and terrestrial ecosystems with which it is connected.
The proposed framework directive complements the Water Framework Directive. Firstly, it lays down clear criteria for evaluating the good chemical status of groundwater and for identifying and reversing trends in the deterioration of the quality of groundwater. Secondly, it imposes the application of measures to prevent or limit the immediate ingress of dangerous substances into groundwater.
At first reading, the Commission accepted many of the 89 amendments approved by the European Parliament, given that they clarified and improved the text, while at the same time remaining consistent with the structure of the original proposal and the Commission's more general approach.
The common position now incorporates 54 of Parliament's amendments in either letter or spirit. Before the common position was finalised, the scope and potential for applying Community standards to the quality of groundwater and, more importantly, the question of nitrates in connection with the Nitrates Directive were discussed. In this instance, the Commission considers that the Nitrates Directive, the Water Framework Directive and the present directive pursue the same objectives as regards the prevention and limitation of contamination from nitrates.
In general, the Commission considers that the common position improves the provisions concerning the definition of threshold values for groundwater and the corresponding compliance regime. Similarly, the common position simplifies the criteria for identifying and reversing pollution trends and clarifies the measures that need to be taken in order to prevent and limit the ingress of contaminants.
I hope that we shall manage to complete the legislative procedure as quickly as possible, because we really do need this new directive, thanks to which the evaluation of the environmental objectives of the Water Framework Directive will be made on the basis of clear qualitative criteria and measures to protect groundwater."@en1
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