Conference "Future of European Waters", Godollo (Budapest), 25 March 2011

Commissioner for Environment Janez Potočnik opened the Conference on “Future of European Waters” in Budapest on 25 March, under the mandate of the Hungarian Presidency of the European Union. His main points referred to: importance of water sustainability and vulnerability; links between science and policy; need for green infrastructure; policy integration and implementation, political support; appropriate funding and appropriate pricing policy under the Water Framework Directive; comprehensive cost-benefit analysis for water management and investment in pollution control; need for better and more relevant water-related research; good governance; steps in the lead up to the 6th World Water Forum 2012 and Blueprint to Safeguard Europe’s Waters that the European Commission will present at the end of 2012.

The EU has a fully developed water policy.  And since 2000, with the adoption of the Water Framework Directive, water policy has evolved even further – to an integrated approach based on the concept of river basin management, aimed at achieving good status of all EU waters by 2015.

However, as the European Environment Agency has recently pointed out, we have not achieved all we want to when it comes to water policies…problems include water pollution, water abstraction, land use and of course the impact of climate change.

Our own policy response to these challenges will arrive as the “Blueprint”. Its objective will be to put in place a policy that will ensure good quality water, in sufficient quantities, for all legitimate uses. This is closely aligned to the aims and the timing of the EU 2020 strategy. And 2020 will be the water milestone on the Resource Efficiency Roadmap we are planning to adopt later this year.

Discours du Commissaire:http://europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=SPEECH/11/215&format=HTML&aged=0&language=EN&guiLanguage=en



Résumé en français: Le Commissaire pour l’environnement Janez Potočnik a ouvert la Conférence sur l”avenir des eaux européennes à Budapest le 25 mars dernier, sous le mandat de la Présidence Hongroise de l’Union Européenne. Les points auxquels il a fait référence sont : l’importance de la durabilité et vulnérabilité de l’eau; les liens entre science et politique; le Forum de l’eau 2012 et la stratégie Blue Print de la Commission européenne pour 2012