The European Commission (EC) has today (15 November), launched a blueprint to ‘Safeguard Europe's Water Resources’ to help the EU ‘protect its water resources and become more resource efficient’ and achieve a ‘good’ water status by 2015 (as required under the Water Framework Directive).

According to the EC, despite ‘improvements in recent years’, water quality and quantity in the EU is not ‘good’ and this strategy has been devised to ensure ‘enough good quality water is available to meet the needs of people, the economy and the environment’ and increase efforts to deal with ‘old and emerging challenges’.

These ‘challenges’, says the EC, include water pollution, water abstraction for agriculture and energy production, as well as climate change impacts such as water scarcity and ‘extreme events’ like floods, which are reportedly increasing in ‘too many’ member states.

The EC has said that ‘strengthened measures’ are now needed to help the EU ‘protect its water resources and become more resource (including water) efficient’.

Releasing the ‘Water Blueprint’, Environment Commissioner Janez Potocnik, said: "This blueprint shows we have a good understanding of the problems we face and a solid platform to tackle them. The time has come to take action to deliver the full benefits of our legislation and create opportunities for innovative solutions in water policy and the water industry. What is needed is a sustainable balance between water demand and supply, taking into account the needs of both people and the natural ecosystems they depend on."

Three-tier action plan

In order to achieve the Water Framework Directive’s target of achieving a ‘good’ and ‘healthy’ water status by 2015, the Water Blueprint says that member states must now take up a ‘three-tier action plan’. This consists of:

• Improving implementation of current EU water policy by making ‘full use’ of the opportunities provided by the current laws, such as increasing the take-up of natural water retention measures through restoring wetlands and floodplains. Other suggestions include improving implementation of the ‘polluter pays’ principle through ‘metering, water-pricing and better economic analysis’.
• Adding or increasing water policy objectives into other relevant policy areas such as those covering agriculture, fisheries, renewable energy and transport.
• Increasing water efficiency through the use of ‘water accounts’ and water efficiency targets. These are to be set by member states and the development of EU standards for water reuse.

The blueprint goes on to propose a ‘tool box’ that member states can use as a template to improve water management at national, regional and ‘river basin’ levels. All proposals of the blueprint come from ‘extensive public and stakeholder consultations’, says the EC.

Aside from ‘environmental protection, health and well-being’, the Water Blueprint also outlines that it will help economic growth and prosperity by ensuring that the EU water industry develops fully its ‘growth potential’ and sees all the economic sectors dependant on the availability of water of a ‘certain quality’, prosper. According to the EC, this will in turn create growth and job opportunities.

Implementation

The blueprint is supported by the Innovation Partnership on Water launched in May, and will rely on the Common Implementation Strategy of the Water Framework Directive to be fully established.

According to the EC, this is ‘an open and participatory process’ involving member states, non-governmental organisations and businesses.

Although linked to the EU’s 2011 Resource Efficiency Roadmap and 2020 Strategy, the blueprint covers a longer-term strategy and details water policy up to 2050.

Read the Blueprint to Safeguard Europe's Water Resources.