Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2000-09-06-Speech-3-336"
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"en.20000906.12.3-336"2
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"Mr President, this is a framework directive with ambitious targets for the protection and improvement of water quality, taking account of the polluter-pays principle. We will not have the entire picture until the relevant daughter directives are in place over the next few years.
Water pricing policies by the year 2010 will have to provide adequate incentives for users to use water resources efficiently. The new paragraph 4 of Article 9 will allow for the continuation of the established practice in Ireland of not applying water charges to the domestic water sector. You can only govern with the consent of the people and by 2010 domestic water charges could well be acceptable to the Irish electorate. At the moment, it is a hugely politically-charged issue.
I thank my colleagues for their understanding, particularly Mrs Schleicher, who represented our case with understanding through all stages, especially at conciliation. The principle of subsidiarity in relation to water pricing policy is jealously guarded in Ireland, but public opinion will probably change by 2010. If we do not apply household or domestic water charges by then we will have to explain our action to the Commission.
There is growing appreciation in Ireland that clean drinking water is a scarce resource and that all services, particularly the cost of distributing clean water to all households, have to be paid for. At the moment the central exchequer or the taxpayer, is paying for this, yet many do not benefit. Many have to pay to sink their own pump in Ireland and pay the electricity charges. Many are on group water schemes which are not part of the public water supply and have to pay dearly each year for the privilege of rather questionable quality water being distributed to their houses. So we are talking about a question of equity and changing public opinion and we appreciate the matter being left to the Irish Government to decide and to influence public opinion."@en1
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