A variety of approaches are being used at EU level to preserve Europe’s
waters. Legislation, market instruments, monitoring, research and awarenessraising
can all make a contribution.
In 2000, the EU introduced the Water Framework Directive, the most
ambitious and comprehensive piece of EU legislation ever approved
in water policy. Taking a genuinely European approach, it establishes
a management system based on natural river basin districts rather than
regional and national boundaries. The aim is to bring together all water
managers – from governments to local communities – the public and all
aff ected sectors to safeguard ground and surface waters, and achieve good
ecological status by 2015.
In 2007, the EU put forward a Communication addressing the challenge
of water scarcity and droughts. The Communication identifi ed seven
policy initiatives that had to be addressed if Europe was to move towards a
water-effi cient and water-saving economy. Each year a report is presented
on the annual progress towards the implementation of the set orientations.
EU policy related to water scarcity and droughts is based on the principle of
a ‘water hierarchy’. This means that additional water supply infrastructures
such as water transfers or desalination plants should be considered only
when all demand-side measures, like water-saving, water effi ciency
improvements and water-pricing, have been exhausted.
A 2009 EU policy paper on adapting to climate change highlights the need
for further measures to enhance water effi ciency and to increase resilience to
climate change. This approach reinforces the consistency of measures taken
at both EU and national level, and sets the scene for further European action.
Member States need to focus on prevention in dealing with the threat of
drought and water scarcity. The EU needs consolidated data and drought
indicators. A prototype European Drought Observatory for forecasting
and monitoring will publish real-time information online. The Commission
is also launching a number of related projects as well as research initiatives
under the Seventh Framework Programme for Research and Development.
The policy on water scarcity and droughts will be reviewed by 2012.
This review, together with the assessment of the Member States’ plans
for managing Europe’s river basins, as required by the Water Framework
Directive, and the review of the vulnerability of environmental resources
such as water, biodiversity and soil to climate impacts and man-made
pressures will contribute to the Blueprint for Europe’s Waters planned for
2012. The Blueprint will foster a move towards prevention and preparedness
with a view to ensuring a sustainable balance between water demand and
the supply of clean water, taking into account the needs of both human
activities and of natural ecosystems.