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Follow-up Communication on Water scarcity and droughts Strategic Co-ordination Group meeting

Follow-up Communication on Water scarcity and droughts Strategic Co-ordination Group meeting 11 March 2009. Andrea Nam, DG Environment European Commission a ndrea.nam@ec.europa.eu. What is the difference between water scarcity and droughts?. Droughts. Water scarcity.

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Follow-up Communication on Water scarcity and droughts Strategic Co-ordination Group meeting

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  1. Follow-up Communication on Water scarcity and droughts Strategic Co-ordination Group meeting 11 March 2009 Andrea Nam, DG Environment European Commission andrea.nam@ec.europa.eu

  2. What is the difference between water scarcity and droughts? Droughts Water scarcity • Temporary decrease in water availability due – for instance – to rainfall deficiency • Natural phenomenon Impacts of droughts  in case of water scarcity • Water demand for human activities • exceeds water resources available • and the natural recharge • Human-driven phenomenon Impacts of water scarcity  in case of drought

  3. Water scarcity and droughts Adaptation to climate change Water Framework Directive 2005 Economic and environmental analysis 2006 2007 Communication Green Paper 2008 Draft RBMP and PoM Follow-up report Implementation of work programme White Paper 2009 Follow-up of White Paper RMBP and PoM adopted Inclusion of DMP 2010 Effective water pricing 2011 2012 Commission report on WFD implementation Review of EU strategy Operational drought Observatory 2013 2014 2015 Achievement of WFD objectives

  4. What policy options have been identified in the Communication?  Putting the right price tag on water  Allocating water and water-related funding more efficiently  Improving drought risk management  Considering additional water supply infrastructures  Fostering water efficient technologies and practices  Fostering the emergence of a water-saving culture in Europe  Improve knowledge and data collection

  5. Follow-up report of the Communication on water scarcity and droughts •  Commitment by the Commission to deliver a follow-up report by the end of 2008 •  Report adopted in December 2008 •  The report provides: • Feedback on progress made in measures to be implemented at EU and national levels • A work programme in order to further implement the measures of the Communication •  The main issues of the draft report were presented at a Conference organised by the Commission on 5 September in Zaragoza

  6. Putting the right price tag on water • Economic instruments are not widely used in the EU • Pricing policies are ineffective if the systematic control over water abstraction is missing. • Policy options • Putting in place the right water tariffs • Introduction of compulsory metering in all sectors

  7. Putting the right price tag on water – follow-up • At national level(by 2010) • Introduction of water pricing policies with incentives for efficient water use; make the 'user pays' principle the rule (art.9 of WFD) • Continuation of efforts to spread metering programmes more widely in all water using sectors – including compulsory controls on abstractions (art. 11(3)(e) of WFD) At EU level • Taking into account the OECD Work Programme on sustainable financing for sound water management • CAP Health Check results – a new standard concerning authorisation procedures for using water for irrigation

  8. Allocating water and water-related funding more efficiently • Improving land-use planning • Some EU policies have exacerbated the sensitivity of some river basins • Large development of tourism or farming over-abstraction in water stress areas • Need to adapt all economic activities to the amount of water available locally • Policy options • Link with ‘Health Check’ of 2008 (EU level) • Assess linkages between biofuels and water availability (EU level) • Set up appropriate regulations in water scarce river basins (national level)

  9. Allocating water and water-related funding more efficiently – follow-up • Improving land-use planning • At national level (now) • Continue stringent implementation of Strategic Environmental Assesment Directive in all economic sectors • Inclusion of appropriate regulations in WFD programmes of measures in order to restore a sustainable balance in all water-scarce river basins At EU level • Policy options of White Paper on adaptation to climate change (from 2009) • Follow up of CAP Health Check on cross-compliance (2008/2009) • Discussions on the post 2013 CAP (in the framework of the cross-compliance system) and cohesion policies (from 2013) • Study on impact of biofuel development on water availability

  10. Allocating water and water-related funding more efficiently 2. Financing water efficiency Policy options First challenge  ensure efficient use of EU budget (national level)  avoid counterproductive priorities (national level)  Refine Community strategic guidelines for water infrastructures (EU level) Explore how policies could better and further contribute to effective water management (EU level) Develop fiscal incentives for the promotion of water-efficient devices (national level)

  11. Allocating water and water-related funding more efficiently– follow-up • 2. Financing water efficiency • At national level (now) • Improve use of EU and national funds for water management within the programmes for 2007-2013 (including as a result of on-going evaluations) - 2009/2010 • Continue efforts to further develop fiscal incentives to promote water-efficient devices and practices - now At EU level • Discussions on the post 2013 CAP (in the framework of the cross-compliance system) and cohesion policies (from 2013) • Study on place of WFD issues in rural development programmes - 2008 At both levels • Follow up of CAP "health check" on modulation and rural development –2009 on • Consider with Member States review of Community strategic guidelines on cohesion 2007-2013 – from 2009

  12. Improving drought risk management • Policy options • WFD has all the flexibility to develop drought management plans (DMP) • Report with recommendations endorsed by EU WD in November 2007 (EU level) • Setting up of DMP (national level) • Observatory and early warning system on droughts in development: • Prototypes and implementing procedures by 2012 (EU level) • Optimise EU Solidarity Fund examine if progress needed in the definition of criteria and eligible operations to better respond to droughts (EU level) • Optimise European Mechanism for Civil Protection identify all possibilities of assistance in case of severe drought (EU level)

  13. Improving drought risk management – follow-up • At national level • Development of drought management plans (according to Article 13(5) WFD) - 2009 • At EU level • Report on drought management plans – recommendations for development of the plans – 2007 • Development of the European Drought Observatory and early warning system on droughts in development - 2012 • examine whether further progress needs to be made in the definition of the criteria and eligible operations for the use of the EU Solidarity Fundto better respond to drought events - From 2009 • focus on drought issues in future annual work programmes of the European Mechanism for Civil Protection – from 2009 • Request the Civil Protection Expert Group on early warning systems to develop an approach to optimize the use of the drought early warning system and anticipate any civil protection preparatory action – once early w. system in place

  14. Considering additional water supply infrastructures Need to respect water hierarchy (EU and national levels) Water saving must be the priority  Additional water supply infrastructures to be considered only when other options exhausted (water savings, water pricing, cost-effective alternatives) – subject to EU legislation  Commission position on alternative options (like desalination, waste water re-use) will be based on further assessment – report will be published in early 2009 (EU level) Need to ensure coherence between objectives of WFD and objectives of Energy Policy for Europe (EU and national levels)

  15. Considering additional water supply infrastructures– follow-up • At national level • Take all adverse effects linked to any new water supply infrastructure fully into account in the environmental assessment – now • At EU level •  Commission preliminary assessment of all alternative options – early 2009

  16. Fostering water efficient technologies and practices Water use in the EU could be reduced by 40% through technological improvements. Approach adopted on energy efficiency also valid for water Policy options Develop standards and legislation to cover water-using devices (EU level)  Address the water performance of buildings (EU level) Reduce leakage in public and private networks  adopt binding performances with fines in case of excessive leakage (national level)

  17. Fostering water efficient technologies and practices– follow-up • At national level • Enhance efforts to further adopt binding performance criteria for new buildings and for public and private networks, with systems of fines for excessive leakages • At EU level • Assessment of possible needs for standards for water-using devices - 2009 • Commission's proposal to include certain water-using devices in the Ecodesign Directive – ongoing • Consider inclusion of water efficiency criteria in performance standards for buildings – from 2009 • Assessment of possible need for a new directive for the water performance of buildings - 2009 • Inclusion of a performance indicator on the use of water in the proposal of revision of the EMAS regulation – July 2008 • At both levels • Continue efforts to develop voluntary agreements with all economic sectors that need water - now

  18. Fostering the emergence of a water-saving culture in Europe Policy options Information, education and training : priority areas for action  Develop large campaigns of information, advisory services, exchanges of best practices (national level) Consumers demand more information on water performance  Encourage inclusion of water management rules in quality and certification schemes (EU and national levels)  Explore expansion of EU labelling schemes to promote such products (EU level)

  19. Fostering the emergence of a water-saving culture in Europe– follow-up • At national level • Continue efforts to develop actions of education, information and communication – now (eg. France – exchange of good practices on irrigation) • At EU level • Explore, together with CSR Europe the possibility of launching an Alliance initiative on the efficient use of water - 2008 • Follow-up of Action Plan on Sustainable Consumption and Production and Sustainable Industrial Policy - Encourage the extension of existing EU energy labelling schemes in order to promote water-friendly devices – 2008/2009 • Follow-up of Green Paper on agricultural product quality adopted in October 2008 - Consider in the light of the public consultation how (1) water management can be better integrated in certification schemes (2) these schemes can be used to promote water friendly products - 2008/2009

  20. Improve knowledge and data collection • Policy options •  Develop a water scarcity and drought Information System across Europe • (EU level) • Information on extent, impacts of water scarcity and drought issues • Description on the basis of agreed indicators • Disseminate the results of research on water scarcity and drought issues • (EU and national levels) •  Enhance and encourage research on technological activities under the 7th Community Research Framework Programme (EU level)

  21. Improve knowledge and data collection– follow-up • At EU level • Set up agreed indicators on the extent and impacts of water scarcity and droughts - 2008/2009 • Present an annual European assessment based on data provided by MS and stakeholders to the EEA and the Commission – from 2009 • The Land Service of the EU wide initiative, the Global Monitoring for Environment and Security (GMES) established a land cover inventory showing areas under water scarcity pressure and their changes over time

  22. Next steps on water scarcity and droughts  End of 2009: new follow-up report by the Commission  2009 – 2012: implementation of the work programme included in the follow-up report  2012: review by the Commission of the EU strategy on water scarcity and droughts

  23. Conclusions A lot remains to be done – Still many gaps in national policies Need to move towards more water demand management oriented policies The annual European assessment will make it possible to follow on a regular basis the evolution of water scarcity and droughts in Europe Monitoring of the work programme to be part of the follow-up report Review of the strategy on water scarcity and droughts by 2012 Tight link between the follow-up of the Communication on water scarcity and droughts and the forthcoming White Paper on adaptation to climate change

  24. Thank you for attention!

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