Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2011-02-16-Speech-3-604-000"
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"en.20110216.20.3-604-000"2
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".
Thank you very much for the questions, and the questions, too, indicate that this is a very important subject for the European Union, and I believe that we do not spend anywhere near as much time discussing these issues as they deserve. By the very act of submitting conclusions and directing attention to, for example, the water problems caused by extreme weather conditions, the Hungarian Presidency intends to pave the way for the European Commission to be able to submit the best possible proposals in this 2012 ‘water blueprint’ to the then presidency and to the Council.
Mr Papanikolaou mentioned the problems of the islands in the Aegean Sea. I believe that this is very important to the people living there, and it is just as important in Southern Italy or Barcelona – we may all remember that there was such a shortage of drinking water in Barcelona that fresh water needed to be transported there by tankers –, and therefore, these all demonstrate that it is vital for us to address these issues.
By formulating Council conclusions we provide inspiration to the Commission, and I trust that when, for example, the debate about the multiannual financial framework begins, we will need to formulate them in such a way as to enable us to direct funds in the best way possible to the common problems of the European Union.
Mrs Ticau and Mr Rubiks both asked their questions about the Danube strategy. If you will allow me, I would like to answer them together. It was to our great satisfaction that Commissioner Hahn presented the action plans in early February in Hungary. There are 13 action plans, and as regards the questions you raised here concerning both the drinking water base and sewage treatment, there are so-called action plans for the issues of all kinds of floods and droughts, and each of these is led by two countries. I believe that this is a very good way to also strengthen regional cooperation along the Danube strategy. What is more, the participants include eight EU Member States and six third countries, and it is very inspiring that we have such a comprehensive strategy that allows us to take concrete steps in all these matters. True, there are no new funds allocated to this purpose, but I am convinced that, within this framework, existing projects can be reorganised, and through the reinforcement of cross-border cooperation we will be able to achieve a far more effective outcome than if all countries were making attempts on their own. It is impossible to engage in individual measures over a river that connects us all.
We may, of course, still have excellent plans, if we do not implement these, and I therefore very much hope that we can discuss these in Council configurations now, while still in the term of the Hungarian Presidency. We did give the process the initial push at the General Affairs Council on 31 June and are intently monitoring how the work is coming along. The work is progressing quite well, also at working group level, and towards the end of the Hungarian Presidency we will be able to adopt the strategy at the General Affairs Council; the European Council will be able to assure us of its support in this regard, and then it will be up to us to implement it as fully as possible, from sewage treatment to the preservation of our drinking water base."@en1
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