7 Water scarcity and droughts
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17586/08
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COM(08) 875
| Follow-up Report to the Commission Communication on water scarcity and droughts in the European Union
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| Legal base | — |
| Document originated | 19 December 2008
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| Deposited in Parliament | 13 January 2009
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| Department | Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
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| Basis of consideration | EM of 27 January 2009
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| Previous Committee Report | None, but see footnote 14
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| To be discussed in Council | No date set
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| Committee's assessment | Politically important
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| Committee's decision | Cleared
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Background
7.1 According to the Commission, water scarcity (where demand
exceeds exploitable resources under sustainable conditions) and
droughts (arising from a temporary decrease in water availability)
have now emerged as a major challenge for the Community, affecting
both households and industries, and are likely to be exacerbated
by climate change. It therefore put forward in July 2007 a Communication[14]
setting out an initial set of policy options at European, national
and regional levels.
7.2 This identified a number of specific challenges,
including the full implementation of the Water Framework Directive
(2000/60/EC); ineffective water pricing policies; inadequate land
use planning; realising the potential for water saving, and identifying
priorities for water use; integrating water-related concerns into
relevant sectoral policies; and the provision of high quality
knowledge and information on the extent of the challenge. The
Communication went on to highlight a number of future policy orientations,
notably putting the right price tag on water; the efficient allocation
of water and water-related funding (through improved land-use
planning and financing water efficiency); improved drought risk
management (through the development of management plans and of
an early warning system, together with use of the Solidarity Fund
and the European Mechanism for Civil Protection); additional water
supply infrastructure; fostering water efficient technologies
and practices; fostering a water-saving culture in Europe;
and improved knowledge and data collection (involving a European
water scarcity and drought information system, and research and
technological development).
7.3 In our
Report of 17 October 2007, we noted that that the UK broadly supported
the objectives of the Communication, and already
had a well developed policy framework for water supply, based
on demand management and the development of sustainable resources.
It also supported action on land use planning, and the removal
of Community subsidies which encourage water intensive crops;
would be fully implementing the Water Framework Directive on the
required time-scale; and supported in principle the Commission's
proposals for fostering water performance technologies and practices,
and a water-saving culture (adding that the costs and benefits
of any specific proposals needed to be explored further).
7.4 On the other hand, the Government believed that
the Communication was in some respects too firmly against the
development of new water resources, and that an overly rigid approach
might not make it possible to bring on new sources of supply to
the required timescales. Likewise, it believed that the development
of a European Drought Observatory would need a robust cost benefit
analysis, and that the Commission should explore the potential
for using existing organisations instead. The Government also
summarised the water charging arrangements already in place in
the various parts of the UK.
The current document
7.5 The current document is a follow-up report summarising
developments since the earlier Communication,
and does so under the following policy headings which were highlighted
in it:
PUTTING THE RIGHT PRICE TAG ON WATER
The Commission notes that Member States have a commitment
to deliver by 2010 water pricing policies providing adequate incentives
to use water resources efficiently, and it comments on the action
taken to implement greater levels of metering and to set tariffs
consistent with the level of scarcity at local level, the season
and/or levels of consumption. It also assesses the effectiveness
of different types of tariff in water stress areas, noting the
UK's approach in the south-east of England.
EFFICIENT ALLOCATION OF WATER AND WATER-RELATED FUNDING
Improved land-use planning
The Commission notes the proposal,
is part of the "health check" of the Common Agricultural
Policy to add a water quantity test to cross-compliance by means
of the Good Agricultural and Environmental Conditions regime,
and says that it will assess which water quality related obligations
will result from the Water Framework Directive as part of the
post-2013 discussions on the CAP. It also says that specific sustainability
criteria for the development of biofuel crops, including the use
of water, are being discussed by the Council,
adding that its proposal
for a new Directive on Renewable Energy contains an incentive
to develop biofuels based on waste residues and other non-agricultural
feedstock, thus reducing the pressure for water; that Member States
most affected in the past by water scarcity and droughts have
made efforts to identify those river basins facing quasi-permanent
or permanent scarcity, commenting on the UK's' review of abstraction
authorisations; and that, although there are a few examples of
good practice, there is overall a lack of evidence that Member
States are fully integrating land use challenges into their water
management decisions.
Financing water efficiency
The Commission notes that proposals
for improving the financing of water efficiency have been made
within the CAP "health check", the climate and renewable
energy package, the Green Paper on adapting to climate change,
and the possible revision of the Community's
strategic guidelines on cohesion 2007-13, noting that the budget
review and discussion on future financial perspectives will provide
additional opportunities to address water supply issues. It also
comments on actions by Member States to develop fiscal incentives
for the promotion of water efficient devices and practices, and
refers to the UK's scheme to enable businesses to claim enhanced
capital allowances for investment in water efficient technologies
and equipment.
IMPROVING DROUGHT RISK MANAGEMENT
Developing drought risk management plans
The Report comments on recommendations by a European
network of experts on the need to develop operational drought
management plans in order to efficiently prevent and mitigate
drought impacts, with the UK being cited as an example of where
this is already in place.
Developing an observatory and early warning system
on droughts
The Report provides an update on the development
of the Commission's Joint Research Centre's observatory and early
warning system, noting that a first prototype is currently being
tested, and that from 2009-10 it should be possible to enable
an annual European
assessment of the incidence of drought to be made.
ADDITIONAL WATER SUPPLY INFRASTRUCTURES
The Commission suggests that, in regions where all
cost-effective prevention measures have been implemented, and
where demand still exceeds availability, additional water supply
infrastructure can be identified as a possible way of mitigating
the impacts of severe drought, with the selection of the most
appropriate option being based on a full impact assessment. However,
it also notes that many supply options would increase energy consumption.
FOSTERING WATER EFFICIENT TECHNOLOGIES AND PRACTICES
The Commission says that it is launching a study
to assess the scope for developing specific standards for water-using
devices, including farm equipment, and it refers to the work which
the UK is doing to review its regulations on minimum performance
requirements and maximum levels of water use for water-using appliances
and fittings. It also notes the action plan on Sustainable Consumption
and Production and Sustainable Industrial Production, including
the proposal
to widen the Ecodesign Directive to cover all energy-related products,
such as water using devices whose consumption influences the energy
needed for heating; and it points out that, on the basis of the
experience gained with the Directive on Energy Performance of
Buildings, it is launching a study to consider the need for a
similar measure on the water performance of buildings.
FOSTERING A WATER-SAVING CULTURE IN EUROPE
The Report notes the crucial role of civil society
in developing a water-saving and efficiency culture, and comments
on a European
level initiative on the development of European
water awareness and water stewardship programmes.
IMPROVED KNOWLEDGE AND DATA COLLECTION.
European water scarcity and drought information
system
The Report refers to a Community
initiative within the Global Monitoring for Environment and Security
(GMES) land services for showing areas under water scarcity pressure,
as well as changes over time.
The Government's view
7.6 In his Explanatory Memorandum of 27 January 2009,
the Minister for the Natural and Marine Environment, Wildlife
and Rural Affairs at the Department for Environment, Food and
Rural Affairs (Mr Huw Irranca-Davies) says that the UK broadly
supports the objectives of the earlier Communication and in this
follow-up report in providing a framework for action by Member
States, identifying threats to water supplies from both long term
and short term impacts in Europe, and requiring Member States
to address the problems within their borders.
Conclusion
7.7 The earlier Communication sought to identify
ways of tackling at both Community and national levels a problem
which seems likely to increase over time, and, whilst we were
content to clear it, we thought it right to draw it to the attention
of the House. We are adopting a similar approach to this follow-up
report.
14 (28827) 12052/07: see HC 41-xxxv (2006-07), chapter
7 (17 October 2007). Back
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