REPORT on the implementation of EU water legislation, ahead of a necessary overall approach to European water challenges
6.6.2012 - (2011/2297(INI))
Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety
Rapporteur: Richard Seeber
MOTION FOR A EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT RESOLUTION
on the implementation of EU water legislation, ahead of a necessary overall approach to European water challenges
The European Parliament,
– having regard to Directive 2000/60/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 23 October 2000 establishing a framework for Community action in the field of water policy[1] (‘the WFD’),
– having regard to Directive 2006/118/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 12 December 2006 on the protection of groundwater against pollution and deterioration (‘the Groundwater Directive’)[2],
– having regard to Directive 2008/105/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 16 December 2008 on environmental quality standards in the field of water policy, amending and subsequently repealing Council Directives 82/176/EEC, 83/513/EEC, 84/156/EEC, 84/491/EEC, 86/280/EEC and amending Directive 2000/60/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council[3] (‘the EQSD’),
– having regard to Council Directive 91/271/EEC of 21 May 1991 concerning urban wastewater treatment[4](‘the UWWTD’),
– having regard to Council Directive 91/676/EEC of 12 December 1991 concerning the protection of waters against pollution caused by nitrates from agricultural sources[5](‘the Nitrates Directive’),
– having regard to Directive 2007/60/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 23 October 2007 on the assessment and management of flood risks[6] (‘the Floods Directive’),
– having regard to Regulation (EC) No 1107/2009 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 21 October 2009 concerning the placing of plant protection products on the market,
– having regard to Regulation (EC) No 1907/2006 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 18 December 2006 concerning the Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH), establishing a European Chemicals Agency, amending Directive 1999/45/EC and repealing Council Regulation (EEC) No 793/93 and Commission Regulation (EC) No 1488/94 as well as Council Directive 76/769/EEC and Commission Directives 91/155/EEC, 93/67/EEC, 93/105/EC and 2000/21/EC[7] (‘the REACH Regulation’),
– having regard to Directive No 2009/128/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 21 October 2009 establishing a framework for Community action to achieve the sustainable use of pesticides,
– having regard to Council Directive 92/43/EEC of 21 May 1992 on the conservation of natural habitats and of wild fauna and flora and Directive 2009/147/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 30 November 2009 on the conservation of wild birds,
– having regard to Regulation (EC) No …/…/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council concerning the placing on the market and use of biocidal products,
– having regard to the upcoming Commission ‘Blueprint to safeguard Europe’s water resources’,
– having regard to the Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council, the Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions entitled ‘Our life insurance, our natural capital: an EU biodiversity strategy to 2020‘(COM(2011)0244),
– having regard to the Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions entitled ‘Roadmap to a Resource Efficient Europe‘ (COM (2011)0571),
– having regard to the upcoming European Innovation Partnership on Water,
– having regard to the Communication from the Commission of 18 July 2007 entitled ‘Addressing the challenge of water scarcity and droughts in the European Union’ (COM(2007)0414),
– having regard to its resolution of 15 March 2012 on the 6th World Water Forum[8] in Marseille on 12–17 March 2012 and the Platform of Solutions and Commitments there adopted,
– having regard to its resolution of 9 October 2008 on addressing the challenge of water scarcity and droughts in the European Union[9],
– having regard to its resolution of 6 May 2010 on the Commission White Paper entitled ‘Adapting to climate change: Towards a European framework for action’,
– having regard to Rule 48 of its Rules of Procedure,
– having regard to the report of the Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety and the opinions of the Committee on Industry, Research and Energy and the Committee on Petitions (A7-0192/2012),
A. whereas the WFD established a framework to protect and restore clean water in the EU and to ensure its long-term, sustainable use, and has the objective of achieving ‘good ecological and chemical status’ by 2015, but whereas the review of the River Basin Management Plans set up by Member States as required by the Directive indicate that a significant number of EU water bodies will not reach ‘good status’ by 2015 due to both long-standing and emerging challenges;
B. whereas water is particularly vulnerable to the effects of climate change, which could lead to a decline in the quantity and quality of water – particularly drinking water – available as well as to a rise in the frequency and intensity of floods and droughts;
C. whereas water is an inalienable public asset which is essential for life and equitable water management plays a vital role in the preservation of the world’s natural capital and ecosystem services as well as in all aspects of resource use and economic production, and whereas the future of industry in Europe depends on finding effective responses to the current water challenges and on managing existing water resources, which directly affect human health, energy production, agriculture and food security, both responsibly and efficiently;
D. whereas Europe is abstracting around 13 % of its total available freshwater, which is already showing signs of water stress, and whereas in many places in Europe water abstraction is going beyond sustainable levels, threatening wildlife, the safety of supply to society and different economic uses, and whereas in some regions of southern Europe the water exploitation index has risen by over 40 % with high levels of water stress;
E. whereas the semi-arid climates of large expanses of southern Europe are also characterised by very unequal distribution of water resources throughout the year, and from year to year, and whereas this extremely irregular distribution tends to intensify with climate changes;
F. whereas the Europe 2020 Strategy stipulates a more efficient use of resources but current trends in water use are often unsustainable due to inefficient practices resulting in water wastage, and whereas water infrastructure systems are often outdated, whether in the most developed regions or in the less developed regions, and there is a lack of information about actual performance and losses;
G. whereas the transition to a green economy can only be achieved by taking into account water-related challenges;
H. whereas inadequately cleaned wastewater continues to pollute the seas around the shores of the EU, so that it is essential to speed up the development of sewage-treatment infrastructure in the Member States;
Implementation of EU water legislation: successes and gaps
1. Acknowledges that the WFD constitutes a solid and ambitious legislative base for long-term integrated water management in the EU; welcomes the improvement in the quality of European water and wastewater treatment in recent years; points out however that the rate of implementation has been slow and uneven across Member States and regions and that the implementation of the WFD needs to be improved significantly in order to achieve ‘good status’ throughout European waters by 2015;
2. Recognises that water is a shared resource of humankind and a public good and that access to water should constitute a fundamental and universal right; stresses that the sustainable use of water is an environmental and health necessity that plays a fundamental role in the climate regulation cycle; reiterates the need to adapt internal market rules to the distinctive characteristics of the water sector and invites the Member States, in keeping with the principle of subsidiarity, to manage water and water utilities in accordance with Article 9 of the WFD;
3. Notes that, despite the progress made in the implementation of the Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive, there are still gaps concerning the compliance rates on collecting systems and/or treatment;
4. Underlines that, while the major focus should be on the implementation of current legislation in the water sector, specific gaps exist that need to be filled both by adapting existing legislation to water priorities and by providing new legislation to address the impact of specific sectors and activities, and that consideration should be given to the importance of cooperation between the various operators and other affected parties for sustainable water management;
5. Reiterates its position that the Commission must submit draft legislation, similar to the directive on floods, which encourages the adoption of an EU policy on water shortages, droughts and adapting to climate change;
6. Classifies the Commission’s upcoming ‘Blueprint to safeguard Europe’s water resources’ as the EU policy response to current and future water challenges, with the objective of ensuring sufficient availability of good-quality water for sustainable and equitable water use up to 2050, without impinging on national jurisdictions in relation to water;
7. Reminds the Member States of their obligations under the WFD to achieve good water status by 2015; urges the Commission to take determined action to bring Member States’ infringements of EU law in the field of water to an end; calls at the same time for further assistance, for example through comprehensive guidelines and effective instruments, to be developed and made available to foster capacity-building in particular for regional authorities and river basin agencies, to ensure a level playing field and assist the Member States in achieving better compliance at future stages of implementation of EU water policy, in order to deliver on water policy commitments; points out that, in many instances, petitions have uncovered problems related to the transposition and proper implementation of the EU water legislation and invites the European Commission to be more determined in its inquiries, in particular when examining petitions;
Water Efficiency and Management of Resources
8. Emphasises the importance of water efficiency; calls for more efficient water usage especially in sectors such as energy and agriculture , which are the largest water users;
9. Emphasises the nexus between energy production, energy efficiency and water security; points out that additional strategies and concepts, such as the use of water for energy storage, are needed at European level to ensure that the growing demand for energy does not jeopardise water security and that the potential for reducing energy use through water efficiency is captured; stresses that water use should be taken into account when assessing the sustainability of traditional as well as low-carbon energy sources, including in particular bioenergy and hydropower, and draws attention to the risks associated with non-conventional natural gas extraction;
10. Stresses that the efficiency and sustainability of water use by the agriculture sector can be improved by the introduction of innovative technologies and practices, and by improvements to information and the awareness of farmers and end users; in this context, emphasises that cooperation between land managers and other stakeholders is a good way to attain positive results in water protection; further emphasises that, in view of the challenges of climate change and food security, sufficient water resources should be mobilised for agriculture, for example by developing water storage; notes that the majority of water is used by the agricultural sector and emphasises the importance of the conservation and sustainable use of water in the current reform of the CAP;
11. Believes that the growing demand for water requires urgent investment in irrigation and calls on the Commission to facilitate access to solutions to water shortages, such as artificially recharging groundwater reservoirs, water harvesting and developing alternative irrigation techniques; at the same time, stresses the importance of the transfer of knowledge and technology relating to those techniques, as well as water conservation, water collection, groundwater management and wastewater treatment;
12. Emphasises that the rate of groundwater recharge under agricultural and forestry land is very high and that farmers and foresters already have a particular responsibility in maintaining the purity of high quality groundwater; recognises the efforts by farmers to improve groundwater quality to date;
13. Underlines that an environmentally- and economically-sound water sanitation and wastewater management policy should tackle pollution at source before passing all pollutants through a costly end-of-pipe treatment, particularly with regard to water flowing through contaminated soil; encourages the use of wastewater and the by-products of end-of-pipe treatment as a new resource on the basis of stringent quality requirements; notes that wastewater can be used as a source of energy by recovering the heat or energy from the organic matter it carries, and that this opportunity should be exploited;
14. Calls for EU water legislation to be updated — as appropriate — to properly take into account technological advances for the reuse and recycling of water in order to allow a cost- and energy-efficient reuse of treated wastewater for irrigation and industry as well as the reuse of greywater in households; calls for measures for proper monitoring of the chemical and biological quality of reclaimed water; calls on the Commission to consider formulas to create incentives for more widespread use of treated wastewater, greywater and rainwater, in order to help to mitigate water stress;
15. Points out that reducing water consumption should be a priority; underlines the importance of ecodesign and water-saving devices and calls for water metering to be made binding across all sectors and users in all EU countries; furthermore, calls on the Commission to regulate the water efficiency of devices in domestic and agricultural use;
16. Recalls that about 20 % of water in the EU is lost due to inefficiency, so that improving efficiency in the use of water resources is key to sustainable water management and, in particular, to dealing with the problems of water scarcity and drought; insists on the urgent need to conduct an audit on the state of the European water network to assess quality, degeneration and interconnectivity, given the possibility that as much as 70 % of the water supplied to European cities is lost as a result of leaks in the water system, and to encourage infrastructure investment;
Water and Ecosystems
17. Notes that water is at the core of most ecosystem services and stresses the importance of proper water management in reaching biodiversity targets; stresses the need for reforestation and wetland restoration measures in the management of water resources; calls for better alignment of the objectives of the WFD with Natura 2000; stresses that the knowledge base should integrate the concept of ‘environmental flows‘ and take into account the ecosystem services supported by water; stresses the need to take into account the fact that water cycle changes depend on habitat and that this has an influence on the percentage of water that is recycled: the water cycle is not the same everywhere and differences exist between the cycles in the tropics, the Mediterranean and the middle or high latitudes;
18. Stresses that water resources and related ecosystems are particularly vulnerable to the effects of climate change, which could lead to a decline in the quantity and quality of water available, particularly drinking water, as well as to a rise in the frequency and intensity of floods and droughts; calls for climate change adaptation and mitigation policies to take due account of the impact on water resources; underlines the importance of risk prevention, mitigation and response strategies to prevent water-related extreme phenomena;
19. Underlines the impact that climate change could have on our water ecosystems, necessitating stringent, systematic measures aimed at conserving nature and biodiversity, and which require the establishment of meticulous rules for the mass management of transformed water, in particular as regards the management of reservoirs and transformed water systems;
20. Notes that some countries do not suffer from shortages of water but are having difficulty in managing the excess of water resulting from regular or heavy rainfall, flooding, river erosion and pollution affecting river basins and coastal areas, as well as the effects of these phenomena on the local population, as is demonstrated by the many petitions received; calls on the Commission to conduct a relevant analysis of the ways to prevent the effects of flooding, given the noticeable increase in the flood risk in Member States in recent years;
21. Emphasises the need for the Commission to call on the Member States to promote the reintroduction of environmentally-friendly agricultural activities in mountain areas to combat hydrogeological instability and to promote water regulation by reintroducing the good practices of creating ditches, drains and embankments, which make it possible, in the event of excessive rain, to reduce the negative impact downstream and, in the event of drought, to guarantee stored water resources that can also be used to fight forest fires;
22. Recognises the essential role that underground aquifers play in the water cycle and in a number of key issues including water pollution, flood mitigation schemes, saline intrusion and land subsidence due to prolonged depletion of groundwater; calls on the Commission to place sufficient emphasis on the importance of sustainable underground aquifer management;
23. Regarding the significant risks to both surface and groundwater posed by shale gas exploration and extraction, calls on the Commission to ensure that such activities are covered by the Environmental Impact Assessment Directive; also calls on the Commission to swiftly issue guidance on the gathering of baseline water monitoring data which must be obtained prior to any fracking, both explorative and exploitative, and the criteria to be used for assessing the impact of fracking in different geological formations, including potential leakage to groundwater reservoirs;
24. Recalls that soil protection is a core element for preserving the quality of water; notes that the causes and consequences of soil deterioration are mostly local and regional in nature and that the principle of subsidiarity should therefore be applied; calls on all Member States to meet their obligations with regard to the assurance of soil quality and to maintain soil health, while also urging Member States where no soil protection provisions exist to step up to their responsibilities;
25. Points out that integrated water resource management and land planning at river-basin level should take into account water-dependent economic activities and water needs for all users, as well as the need for a holistic approach to water scarcity, and should ensure the sustainability of human activities on water;
26. Considers that wastewater from urban resources represents one of the most significant effects of pollution on the aquatic environment, in rivers and on the coast, and that the successful implementation of the Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive will have a significant influence on the water quality in all Member States and thus on the successful implementation of the WFD;
27. Draws attention to the severe impact that such pollution can have on human health, as witnessed by petitions received from Ireland (Galway), France (Brittany) and other Member States; recalls its resolution of 2 February 2012 on the issues raised by petitioners in relation to the application of the Waste Management Directive and related directives in the Member States of the European Union, which drew attention to the dangerous levels of water contamination resulting from badly-managed or illegal landfill sites and quarries, which has led to infiltration and pollution of groundwater and of water tables (nappes phréatiques);
28. Draws attention to a number of negative factors denounced by petitioners – including waste landfills, failure by competent authorities to control water quality, irregular or unlawful agricultural and industrial practices, urban and energy-related development, agriculture and industry – which impact on the environment and human health and are responsible for poor water quality; calls therefore for the establishment of more targeted incentives for efficient water management and – in particular for poor and rural populations – affordable access to water for all, and for the distribution of water in areas facing shortages, particularly those areas situated at a distance from large urban agglomerations equipped with water infrastructure;
29. Considers that nutrient enrichment is one of several factors responsible for the pollution of surface water bodies, affecting biodiversity and diminishing valuable ecosystem services; recognises that investigated nutrient conditions may account for more than half of the failures expected in the effort to achieve ‘good status’ in surface water bodies by 2015;
30. Urges the Commission to step up the battle against the increasing release of pollutants such as anti-biotic and drug residues – as well as hormone residues from anti-conception pills – in water, as these residues have a negative effect on human health and the environment;
Knowledge and Innovation
31. Recognises that the EU policy framework has allowed the collection of less fragmented data on water as well as better monitoring; notes however the lack of reliable data on water quantity, for instance on abstraction and leakage; notes the potential for better data management based on an improvement in statistical information and on the use of data collection stations, the Water Information System for Europe (WISE) and GMES monitoring of the state of water resources and the pressures on them from economic activity; calls on the Commission, in cooperation with the European Environment Agency, to develop a new set of reliable indicators for water accounts; underlines that the knowledge base should integrate the concept of ‘environmental flows’ and take into account the ecosystem services supported by water and the links between climate, territory and underground water resources provided by the water cycle;
32. Stresses the need to focus on the specific objectives and activities of the Horizon 2020 programme in terms of better, sustainable management of water resources and aquatic environments in the EU and neighbouring countries; believes that EU research policy should respond to growing challenges concerning water management for agriculture, buildings, industry, households and water-efficiency ambitions; notes, in this regard, the BONUS programme for the Baltic Sea as an example for other regions;
33. Believes that it is important to encourage research and innovation in connection with water and that the development of European clusters in this area must be supported; calls on the Commission, the Member States and other relevant stakeholders to support the European Innovation Partnership on Water as an effective instrument to concentrate efforts on world-leading research and innovation and remove the barriers that prevent the quick transfer and integration of knowledge, best available techniques and technological breakthroughs to the market, as well as to foster the development of an internal market of water technology; highlights the importance of eco-innovation for the conservation of water resources, biodiversity and balanced ecosystems; points out the potential for the creation of ‘green jobs‘, an innovation- and knowledge-based water policy, better water management and water efficiency; calls on the Commission to evaluate and quantify the impact on employment of its actions to promote the growth of R&D in the area of water;
Water Mainstreaming
34. Stresses the need for better consistency and better integration of water-related objectives and of the resource-efficiency agenda, which contains crucial water efficiency objectives, into the legislation at EU, national regional and local levels; calls for a full evaluation of the effects on water resources to be taken into account in the design of the overarching economic governance policies such as EU2020 and of joint EU policies such as the common agricultural policy and cohesion policy frameworks, in order to achieve a thematic concentration of available financing on water issues and to mainstream the issue of water into all policy areas with the aim of improving the quality of water in all European regions;
35. Notes that investments in hydrotechnical infrastructure should be given greater consideration in the new EU financial strategy on the cohesion funds than was previously the case;
36. Notes that the standards that apply to farmers are already high and closely monitored; calls for a strengthening of eco-conditionality for the common agricultural policy on the basis of existing obligations;
Water and the Economy
37. Calls on the Commission and Member States to ensure the application of the ‘polluter pays’ and ‘user pays’ principles by means of transparent and effective pricing schemes implemented in all water-using sectors that aim at the recovery of the costs of water services, including environmental and resource costs, as set down in the Water Framework Directive; underlines however that social issues should be taken into account when setting water tariffs and that clean water should be available at an affordable price for human needs; furthermore, calls on the Commission and the Member States to assess and revise subsidies harmful for water and to develop and introduce further economic instruments to reduce environmentally-detrimental activity and incentivise more sustainable use of water resources; stresses that water pricing should reflect the environmental impact of wastewater treatment; notes that, although the political will exists, the economic crisis and restrictions on public spending make it difficult for local and regional authorities to finance greywater treatment projects and therefore calls on the Commission to ensure appropriate financing of wastewater treatment plants; calls on the Commission to develop a strategy for internalising the external costs incurred through water consumption, water pollution and wastewater treatment;
38. Believes that secondary residences benefit from the same availability of water resources as principal residences and that their contribution to the financing of the system must therefore be at least equal;
39. Invites the Member States to use the opportunities provided by the Structural Funds, the Cohesion Fund and the Rural Development Fund and to invest in improving or renewing existing infrastructures and technologies in order to achieve greater efficiency in the use of water resources;
40. Considers demand management to be the key to addressing water scarcity and calls for water demand management plans as a condition for disbursing EU structural and cohesion fund support to water sector or water intensive activities, as well as for the Member States to require water sustainability assessments as a condition for authorising water-intensive economic activities such as mass tourism or particular types of agriculture;
41. Calls on the Commission to encourage businesses to use materials that require less water by supporting R&D and providing structural funds in areas where the resource is at its most scarce;
42. Calls on the Commission and the Member States to draw up administrative measures and seek financial resources facilitating connections to sewerage networks for people living in rural areas;
43. Urges the Commission and the Member States to adopt without delay concrete plans for phasing out all environmentally-harmful subsidies before 2020 and to report on progress through the National Reform Programmes;
Water and Society
44. Urges the Commission, the Member States and regional authorities to stimulate intersectoral dialogue, as well as dialogue between the various economic operators and citizens on issues related to water and between authorities and the Petitions Committee whenever the latter is addressing the concerns of European citizens with regard to water issues, and to foster full and transparent participation of local communities and stakeholders at all levels in the development of water policy; highlights the importance of effective multi-level governance in the field of water which takes into account the need for integrated water stewardship in the countryside surrounding river basins and promotes the exchange of best practices;
45. Insists that for a water-management policy to be effective it needs to be implemented close to the resource; calls on the Commission to take into account areas with natural handicaps, such as mountainous areas, islands and the outermost regions;
46. Calls for the strengthening of public awareness and education on water issues, in order to bring about a better understanding of the links between water, ecosystems, sanitation, hygiene, health, food safety, food security and disaster prevention among consumers, health operators and policy and decision makers; underlines the primary role of regional and local authorities and civil society organisations in awareness-raising campaigns and educational activities; insists that these awareness programmes must be aimed at citizens of all ages, so that this public and essential asset can be used more effectively and efficiently;
47. Stresses that water, and water ecosystems, have no administrative borders, and therefore all measures must be taken to protect and develop them in a consistent and coordinated manner, preferably by competent entities with jurisdiction over the entire river basin;
48. Reiterates that the WFD prescribes coordination between Member States for sharing a common river basin where water use may have transboundary effects, and urges such Member States as may be concerned to engage in regular transboundary communication and cooperation to support the implementation of the WFD with regard to priority substances, priority hazardous substances and nutrients pollution;
49. Notes that the quality of bathing water has an impact on tourism; calls for the Blue Flag scheme to be extended to all bathing areas in Europe, including rivers, lakes and ponds;
50. Stresses that the concept of sustainable tourism includes the conservation of water; calls for the provision of training in connection with saving water and the sustainable use thereof for tourism professionals, particularly in coastal areas and thermal belts;
51. Emphasises the importance of introducing good water systems in buildings and public areas to help reduce the need for bottled water;
52. Notes that since 1988, among the petitions relating to environmental complaints addressed to the Committee on Petitions, 601 of these petitions (Spain 166, UK 129, Germany 97, Italy 60, France 55, Greece 34, Netherlands 16, Portugal 16, Ireland 12, Poland 4, Romania 4, Finland 3, Bulgaria 2, Hungary 2 and Slovenia 1), sometimes co-signed by several signatories (see petition 0784/2007, co-signed by 2036 signatories), concern the quality and quantity of water in the Member States; acknowledges that these petitions are proof that water is a significantly serious problem for European Union citizens;
53. Takes note that, according to a Eurobarometer survey of March 2012, 68 % of Europeans think that water quantity and quality problems are serious, 80 % believe that chemical pollution is a threat to the water environment, 62 % feel that they are not sufficiently informed about problems facing groundwater, lakes, rivers and coastal waters in their countries, 67 % think that the most effective way of tackling water problems would be awareness-raising about water-related problems, and 73 % think that the EU should propose additional measures to address water problems in Europe;
Water and the World
54. Welcomes the early achievement of the United Nations Millennium Development Goal on sustainable access to safe drinking water; calls on the Commission, the Member States and the relevant authorities at all levels to reinforce their commitment, to play an active role in achieving the MDG on basic sanitation and to take into account the relevant outcomes of the Rio+20 Conference on Sustainable Development, ensuring that access to potable water and sanitation is guaranteed as a fundamental human right which is essential for the full enjoyment of life, under the terms adopted by the General Assembly of the United Nations in 2010;
55. Welcomes the active participation of the European Union in the 6th World Water Forum on 12–17 March 2012 in Marseille; calls on the European Union to continue its commitment to improving water access throughout the world, particularly with a view to the 7th World Water Forum which will take place in South Korea in 2015;
56. Points out that the EU has a very high level of water expertise that should be utilised in practice in order to achieve the MDG on basic sanitation and on other water-related sustainable development goals; calls on the Commission to draw attention to the best practices of third countries in using collected rainwater and repeatedly using wastewater and thus combating water scarcity, particularly during the driest periods; encourages increased cooperation in these areas with the most technologically-advanced third countries in terms of the use of water resources;
57. Believes that international ambitions should be increased to achieve sustainable water use through integrated water resource management and increased resource efficiency;
58. Encourages local authorities and other relevant entities to devote a proportion of the tariffs collected from users for the supply of water and sanitation services to decentralised cooperation measures; also draws attention to the principle of ‘1 % solidarity for water’ adopted by some Member States as an example to promote and to implement;
59. Calls on the Commission, on behalf of the European Union and the Member States, to accede to the 1997 United Nations Convention on International Watercourses and to promote the entry into force of the amendments to the 1992 Helsinki Convention on the Protection and Use of Transboundary Watercourses and International Lakes, in order to extend the scope of this instrument beyond the UNECE countries alone, and to encourage wider ratification of the Protocol on Health and Water to the 1992 Helsinki Convention, with a view to promoting the coordinated and fair management of water in national and international basins;
°
° °
60. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission and the governments and parliaments of the Member States.
EXPLANATORY STATEMENT
Water is essential for life. Managing it sustainably is vital to ensure that all ecosystems receive a sufficient quantity of good quality water to function properly and provide essential services to food security and safety, to our health, to our society and economy: water is arguably the most important of all public goods.
However, Europe and the world’s freshwater resources are at risk if we manage them beyond the boundaries of sustainability: urbanisation, population growth, overconsumption, biological and chemical pollution, hydromorphological alterations and climate change put an ever increasing pressure on the availability and quality of safe and secure water. Future economic growth cannot be sustained unless it is decoupled from adverse environmental impacts on water.
How are we faring in the European Union? The existing water legislation provides a robust framework for a sustainable and efficient water management: in particular, the Water Framework Directive (WFD), adopted in 2000, can be considered a milestone of European water policy. Taking an integrated approach that focuses on water management at river basin level, the Directive extends the scope of water protection to all surface water and groundwater and sets a target for sustainability in terms of the ecological, chemical and quantitative ‘good status’ to be reached by European water bodies by 2015.
However, the rate of implementation of the WFD has been slow across European countries and regions, with much diversified results, and it is now becoming clear that a significant number of EU water bodies will not reach ‘good status’ by 2015, due to both longstanding and emerging challenges.
In this context, the Commission has launched several assessments of the water situation in the EU: the process will result in a ‘Blueprint to safeguard Europe’s water resources’ to be published in November 2012. The Blueprint aims to be the EU policy response to current and future water challenges, with the objective of ensuring sufficient availability of good quality water for sustainable and equitable water use. It will be the water milestone on the Resource Efficiency Roadmap in the framework of the Europe 2020 strategy, but will drive the policy in the longer term up to 2050.
Your Rapporteur appreciates the Commission’s initiative and believes that the European Parliament must give a fundamental contribution to the process leading to the establishment of the future direction of European water policy via the Blueprint. The most effective way forward is to focus on implementation, so this report sets out to analyse the current status of implementation of EU water legislation across Member States, pointing out its successes as well as the main challenges that need to be overcome to improve it. It also identifies important policy gaps that will need to be bridged by new legislation.
The following points summarise the main findings of this report.
- Additional emphasis should be put on the regional dimension. Europe as a whole abstracts only around 13% of its total available water, but the geographic distribution of resources is very uneven and many European countries and regions are subject to heavy water stress. There can be no ‘one size fits all’ solution: the regional and local dimension should be strengthened, local stakeholders and communities should be involved in a participatory process at all stages of policy design and implementation, and the Commission should foster capacity building and design clear guidelines for implementation.
- Reliable data is needed, in particular on water quantity. While the fragmentation of available data, in particular on water quality, has decreased thanks to the current policy, a major knowledge gap on water availability still remains. It is paramount to establish how much water flows in and out of river basin and how much is abstracted by each sector and to reinforce the Water Information System for Europe (WISE). New key indicators need to be developed: they should take into account the ecosystem services supported by water and be used to set measurable targets, in particular for water efficiency.
- The issue of water should be ‘mainstreamed’ into all policy areas. In order to achieve a functioning ‘green economy’, there is the need for a ‘blueing’ of all policy areas: water-related objectives should be integrated into all levels of legislation at the European, national and regional levels. Moreover, it is important to strive for better alignment and harmonisation of the various legislative instruments, for instance by removing existing inconsistencies among the WFD, the Nitrates Directive, the REACH Regulation as well as Natura 2000.
- Water protection needs a holistic approach. Protection of water resources, with particular reference to drinking water, needs to be addressed from a global perspective, taking into account all ecosystem services supported by water. It is of fundamental importance that pollution is controlled at source, in order to prevent hazardous substances from entering the environment and to reduce the burden placed on wastewater treatment. Climate change mitigation and adaptation policies need to always take into account the impact on water resources and the EU should adopt a holistic approach to water scarcity and droughts.
- Major water efficiency gains can and should be made. Resource efficiency is a flagship initiative of Europe 2020, and water efficiency plays a central part in the strategy. In addition, water quantity and quality are inextricably linked. For instance, the nexus between energy and water is crucial: according to a recent study requested by the Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety, the energy sector accounts for around 45% of water abstraction in the EU and energy production can affect water quality, and conversely energy is used in water treatment: it should be ensured that the growing demand for energy does not put unsustainable pressure on water resources. Moreover, new irrigation techniques and practices, accompanied by advice to farmers, can improve water efficiency in agriculture, another large abstractor that accounts for around 33% of water use (and whose share can reach up to 80% in some regions of Southern Europe). Metering and ecodesign can foster efficiency in public water systems and industry.
- Water reuse and recycling should be addressed by EU legislation. In particular in regions subject to water stress, the reuse of water for irrigation purposes and in households can be an important instrument to achieve water security. The legislative framework should explicitly address water recycling, taking into account the technological advances that allow effective monitoring of the quality of reclaimed water.
- Research and innovation should be further promoted. The Commission and Member States should make sufficient funding available to research projects for rainwater systems, metering technologies, methods to monitor and remove point source and diffuse chemical and biological pollutants, as well as technologies for water saving and efficiency in urban and rural areas. The upcoming European Innovation Partnership on Water should be supported by all stakeholders as the ideal tool to concentrate efforts on innovation.
- Economic instruments are important to reach water goals, in particular in times of financial crisis. The WFD already aims at ‘getting the price right’, but more transparent pricing schemes are needed to incorporate full cost recovery and the application of the ‘polluter pays’ and ‘user pays’ principles. Tariffs should however always take into account social issues when dealing with the personal use of water.
- The international dimension should be strengthened. While the early achievement of the UN Millennium Development Goal on safe drinking water has been announced, over 800 million people still use unsafe drinking water and the target on basic sanitation is still far from being met. Europe should reinforce its international commitments, in particular in view of the upcoming Rio+20 Conference on Sustainable Development.
In conclusion, decisive action at EU level is needed to address current and future water challenges faced by our continent. The Rapporteur calls on the Commission to incorporate the policy recommendations contained in this report into the formulation of the ‘Blueprint to safeguard Europe’s water resources’ as an important contribution towards a more effective and better integrated water policy and a level playing field for its implementation.
OPINION of the Committee on Industry, Research and Energy (10.5.2012)
for the Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety
on the implementation of EU water legislation, ahead of a necessary overall approach to European water challenges
(2011/2297(INI))
Rapporteur: Konrad Szymański
SUGGESTIONS
The Committee on Industry, Research and Energy calls on the Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety, as the committee responsible, to incorporate the following suggestions in its motion for a resolution:
1. Stresses the need to focus on the specific objectives and activities of the Horizon 2020 programme on better, sustainable management of water resources and aquatic environments in the EU and its neighbouring countries; believes that EU research policy should respond to growing challenges concerning water management for agriculture, buildings, industry, households and water-efficiency ambitions; notes, in this regard, the BONUS programme for the Baltic Sea as an example for other regions;
2. Insists on the urgent need to conduct an audit on the state of the European water network to assess quality, degeneration and interconnectivity given the possibility that as much as 70% of the water supplied to European cities is lost as a result of leaks in the water system, and to encourage infrastructure investments;
3. Notes the lack of knowledge and information about the availability of water resources and about the challenges involved in water management and the securing of water supplies, and, in view of the scale and complexity of these challenges, calls on the Commission and the Council to treat this as one of the key areas in preparing the Multiannual Financial Framework 2014–2020;
4. Calls on the Commission to put forward specific proposals for saving water, such as measures to improve water efficiency in buildings and water consumption labels for water‑using appliances (washing machines, etc.);
5. Notes that every individual and every enterprise depends on water – the only resource for which there is no replacement – and believes that the future of industry in Europe depends on finding effective responses to the current water challenges and on managing existing water resources, which directly affect human health, energy production, agriculture and food security, both responsibly and efficiently;
6. Calls for a hierarchical approach to water management which distinguishes consumption from industrial use, and for water to be managed accordingly;
7. Notes that pricing should be consistent with water‑saving, and that prices should be transparent and incremental, and should reflect the true cost of the services provided;
8. Notes that the quality of bathing water has an impact on tourism; calls for the Blue Flag scheme to be extended to all bathing areas in Europe, including rivers, lakes and ponds;
9. Stresses that the concept of sustainable tourism includes the conservation of water; calls for the provision of training in connection with saving water and the sustainable use thereof for tourism professionals, particularly in coastal areas and in thermal belts;
10. Insists that for a water management policy to be effective it needs to be implemented close to the resource; calls on the Commission to take into account areas with natural handicaps, such as mountainous areas, islands )and the outermost regions;
11. Notes that agri-food industries distributing water need to take account of health and safety during heatwaves and other exceptional circumstances, and therefore their presence in each particular territory should be assessed and their development and access to the entire territory encouraged;
12. Calls on the Commission to encourage businesses to use materials that require less water by supporting R&D and providing structural funds in areas where the resource is at its most scarce;
13. Welcomes the further coordination and development of European water policies based on River Basin Management Plans and the Water Information System for Europe (WISE);
14. Calls on the Commission to conduct a relevant analysis of the ways to prevent the effects of flooding, given the noticeable increase in the flood risk in Member States in recent years;
15. Notes the potential for better data management, based on an improvement in statistical information and on the use of data collection stations, water information systems and GMES monitoring of the state of water resources and the pressures on them from economic activity;
16. Believes that it is important to encourage research and innovation in connection with water and that the development of European clusters in this area must be supported;
17. Stresses the importance of the availability of water resources for EU industrial policy; notes the great potential in applying water re-use technologies to the treatment of wastewater in agriculture, industry and buildings; calls on the Commission to encourage optimisation of the successive use of water extracted from the water cycle and on the Member States to ensure the necessary investment in the purification and recycling of wastewater processes in order to maintain and improve water quality and keep manufacturers informed of any substantial changes to water composition;
18. Believes that the growing demand for water requires urgent investment in irrigation and calls on the Commission to facilitate access to solutions to water shortages, such as artificially recharging groundwater reservoirs, water harvesting and developing alternative irrigation techniques; at the same time, stresses the importance of the transfer of knowledge and technology relating to those techniques, as well as water conservation, water collection, groundwater management and wastewater treatment;
19. Notes the potential of hydropower as a form of CO2-neutral and own-resource-based energy production that can effectively respond to the demands of European energy supply; calls for the development of new and innovative energy solutions in this area;
20. Notes that wastewater can be used as a source of energy by recovering the heat or energy from the organic matter it carries, and that this opportunity should be exploited;
21. Encourages the Commission to develop a coherent approach to the internalisation of the costs resulting from water use, water pollution and water treatment;
22. Calls for enhanced international and regional cooperation, especially with countries neighbouring the EU, such as those in the Mediterranean region, and for international and regional organisations to tackle effectively the current and future water management challenges facing society;
23. Notes that investments in hydrotechnical infrastructure should be given greater consideration in the new EU financial strategy on the cohesion funds than was previously the case;
24. Insists that water pollution should primarily be controlled and managed at source;
25. Notes that the majority of water is used by the agricultural sector, and that the most effective practices and techniques for saving water must be encouraged through the common agricultural policy where possible;
26. Notes that the standards that apply to farmers are already high and closely monitored; calls for a strengthening of eco-conditionality for the common agricultural policy on the basis of existing obligations;
27. Believes that secondary residences benefit from the same availability of water resources as principal residences and that their contribution to the financing of the system must therefore be at least equal;
RESULT OF FINAL VOTE IN COMMITTEE
|
Date adopted |
8.5.2012 |
|
|
|
|
|
Result of final vote |
+: –: 0: |
57 1 1 |
|||
|
Members present for the final vote |
Amelia Andersdotter, Josefa Andrés Barea, Jean-Pierre Audy, Zigmantas Balčytis, Ivo Belet, Bendt Bendtsen, Jan Březina, Maria Da Graça Carvalho, Giles Chichester, Jürgen Creutzmann, Pilar del Castillo Vera, Dimitrios Droutsas, Vicky Ford, Adam Gierek, Norbert Glante, Robert Goebbels, András Gyürk, Fiona Hall, Edit Herczog, Kent Johansson, Romana Jordan, Krišjānis Kariņš, Lena Kolarska-Bobińska, Béla Kovács, Philippe Lamberts, Judith A. Merkies, Angelika Niebler, Jaroslav Paška, Aldo Patriciello, Vittorio Prodi, Miloslav Ransdorf, Herbert Reul, Michèle Rivasi, Paul Rübig, Salvador Sedó i Alabart, Francisco Sosa Wagner, Konrad Szymański, Britta Thomsen, Evžen Tošenovský, Ioannis A. Tsoukalas, Claude Turmes, Marita Ulvskog, Vladimir Urutchev, Kathleen Van Brempt, Alejo Vidal-Quadras, Henri Weber, Inês Cristina Zuber |
||||
|
Substitute(s) present for the final vote |
Antonio Cancian, Ioan Enciu, Françoise Grossetête, Roger Helmer, Jolanta Emilia Hibner, Bernd Lange, Werner Langen, Zofija Mazej Kukovič, Silvia-Adriana Ţicău |
||||
|
Substitute(s) under Rule 187(2) present for the final vote |
Anne E. Jensen, Nicole Kiil-Nielsen, Norica Nicolai |
||||
OPINION of the Committee on Petitions (25.4.2012)
for the Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety
on the implementation of EU water legislation, ahead of a necessary overall approach to European water challenges
(2011/2297(INI))
Rapporteur: Nikolaos Chountis
SUGGESTIONS
The Committee on Petitions calls on the Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety, as the committee responsible, to incorporate the following suggestions in its motion for a resolution:
1. Declares that water is a shared resource of humankind and a public good and therefore should not be a source of profit from trade, and that access to water should constitute a fundamental and universal right; stresses that the sustainable use of water is an environmental and health necessity that plays a fundamental role in the climate regulation cycle; reiterates that ‘the management of water resources should not be subject to internal market rules’ (EP Resolution P5_TA (2004)0183) and invites the European Commission and the Member States to guarantee public ownership and management of water and water utilities;
2. Is concerned that the balance between the need for water and available resources has reached a critical level in many regions of Europe and that climate change could make the situation even worse; water scarcity and drought now affect the whole territory of some Member States on a permanent basis; emphasizes that climate change and the subsequent changing weather conditions significantly affect the quality and availability of European water resources, that Europe’s high water stress areas are expected to increase from 19 % today to 35 % by the 2070s and that climate related extreme weather events constitute further challenges to efficient water management;
3. Urges extreme caution regarding the potential serious negative environmental impact of schemes designed to engineer deviation or modification of existing river courses and flows which can seriously aggravate threats to the sustainability of water resources and ecological balance; recalls that the use of desalination plants to alleviate water scarcity in certain regions may be necessary but that these should in all cases be in conformity with the strictest environmental standards both as regards their site, their level of energy consumption and their safe disposal of extracted salt;
4. Notes that, by contrast, other countries do not suffer from shortages of water but are having difficulty in managing the excess of water resulting from regular or heavy rainfall, flooding, river erosion and pollution affecting river basin and coastal areas, as well as the effects of these phenomena on the local population, as are witnessed by many petitions received;
5. Takes note that the Water Framework Directive (WFD) sets up a framework for the protection of all water bodies in the EU – ground waters and surface waters, lakes, rivers and coastal waters – and has the objective of achieving ‘good ecological and chemical status’ by 2015;
6. Expresses concerns that in the field of WFD implementation at present, ineffective application and enforcement remains a major problem in some Member States; current implementation status shows that some Member States lag behind schedule, that the comprehensive clean-up of the EU’s waters is far from acceptable and that the objectives are often not pursued with sufficient consistency in other EU policies; expresses its hope that the ongoing reform of the Common Agricultural Policy will address the problems related to agricultural water management; highlights that good water management has to be integrated into all European policies on sectors that use and pollute water, and stresses that local, regional or national adaptation measures can only be effective if coordinated at EU level;
7. Considers that waste water from urban resources represents one of the most significant pollution impacts on the aquatic environment, in rivers and on the coast, and that the successful implementation of the Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive has a significant influence on the water quality in all Member States, and thus on the successful implementation of the WFD;
8. Draws attention to the severe impact that such pollution can have on human health, as witnessed by petitions received from Ireland (Galway), France (Brittany) and other Member States; recalls its resolution of 2 February 2012 on the issues raised by petitioners in relation to the application of the Waste Management Directive, and related directives, in the Member States of the European Union, and which drew attention to the dangerous levels of water contamination resulting from badly managed or illegal landfill sites and quarries, which has led to infiltration and pollution of groundwater and of water tables (nappes phréatiques);
9. Notes that despite the progress made in the implementation of the Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive, there are still gaps concerning the compliance rates on collecting systems and/or treatment; asks the Commission to provide more support for the financing of waste water treatment plants and small- and large-scale infrastructure for collecting systems in the EU, including the reuse of treated waste water for irrigation and industrial purposes;
10. Notes also that since 1988, among the petitions relating to environmental complaints addressed to the Committee on Petitions, 601 of these petitions (Spain 166, UK 129, Germany 97, Italy 60, France 55, Greece 34, Netherlands 16, Portugal 16, Ireland 12, Poland 4, Romania 4, Finland 3, Bulgaria 2, Hungary 2 and Slovenia 1), sometimes co-signed by several signatories (see petition 0784/2007, co-signed by 2036 signatories), concern the quality and quantity of water in the Member States; acknowledges that these petitions are proof that water is a significantly serious problem for the European Union citizens;
11. Takes note that, according to a Eurobarometer survey of March 2012, 68 % of Europeans think that water quantity and quality problems are serious, 80 % believe that chemical pollution is a threat to the water environment, 62 % feel that they are not sufficiently informed about problems facing groundwater, lakes, rivers and coastal waters in their countries, 67 % think that the most effective way of tackling water problems would be awareness-raising about water related problems, and 73 % think that the EU should propose additional measures to address water problems in Europe;
12. Reminds the Member States of their obligations under the WFD to achieve good water status by 2015, and calls on the Member States and the Commission to act as quickly as possible to take all necessary measures and to make sufficient funding and technical assistance available to reach these water quality targets; considers that the participation of citizens, the competent authorities at the various levels of government, productive sectors, environmental NGOs and the civil society is essential for successful implementation of the WFD and sustainable environmental management as a whole;
13. Calls on the European Commission carefully to monitor the implementation by the Member States of the WFD so as to ensure that it is done properly and effectively, and consistently to urge the Member States to make concrete progress; points out that, in many instances, petitions have uncovered problems related to the transposition and proper implementation of the EU water legislation, and invites the European Commission to be more determined in its inquiries, in particular when examining petitions;
14. Draws attention to a number of negative factors denounced by the petitioners – including waste landfills, failure by competent authorities to control water quality, irregular or unlawful agricultural and industrial practices, urban and energy-related development, agriculture and industry – which impact the environment and human health and are responsible for poor water quality; calls therefore for the establishment of more targeted incentives for efficient water management and – in particular for poor and rural populations – affordable access to water for all, and the distribution of water in areas facing shortages, particularly those areas situated at a distance from large urban agglomerations equipped with water infrastructure;
15. Regrets that the European Commission proposal amending the WFD (COM (2011)876) adds only 15 new chemical substances from a list of 2000 potentially dangerous substances that should be monitored and reduced, and fails to set out clear timetables to phase out the most dangerous chemicals, despite explicit legal requirements agreed upon since 2000; asks, therefore, the Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety, in its recommendation to the Commission, to pay particular attention to the priority substances mentioned above – very often identified by petitioners as ‘toxic and radioactive waste’ – given the high degree of risk they pose, as water contaminants, to human health;
16. Urges the Commission to step up the battle against the increasing release of pollutants such as anti-biotic and drug residues, as well as hormone residues from anti-conception pills, in water, as these residues have a negative effect on human health and the environment;
17. Reiterates that the WFD prescribes coordination between Member States for sharing a common river basin where use of water may have transboundary effects, and urges such Member States as may be concerned to engage in a regular transboundary communication and cooperation to support the implementation of the WFD with regard to priority substances, priority hazardous substances and nutrients pollution;
18. Considers that nutrient enrichment is one of several factors responsible for the pollution of surface water bodies, affecting biodiversity and diminishing valuable ecosystem services; recognises that investigated nutrient conditions may account for more than half of the failures expected in the effort to achieve ‘good status’ in surface water bodies by 2015;
19. Asks the Commission to develop and publish in 2012 a road map to set recommendations focusing on improving the efficiency of water resources and land use, developing an approach for mainstreaming the water issue into all policies and improving governance of water management as well as research and data collection; in this context welcomes the increasing inclusion of environmental regulations in the CAP; the Commission is also invited to publish in 2012 a ‘Blueprint to safeguard EU water’ based on the review of the WFD implementation, the review of the EU Water Scarcity and Drought Policy as well as the review of the EU adaptation policy as related to water management;
20. Calls on the Commission and the Member States to develop water awareness programmes and information campaigns so as to introduce a water saving and water efficient culture among the citizens of the European Union; insists that these awareness programmes must be aimed at citizens of all ages, so that this public and essential asset can be used more effectively and efficiently;
21. Believes that public involvement is a precondition both for protecting water resources and identifying the problems and the most appropriate measures to solve them; calls, therefore, for more cooperation between the national, regional and local authorities responsible for these matters in the Member States, and between these authorities and the Petitions Committee whenever the latter is addressing the concerns of European citizens with regard to water issues;
RESULT OF FINAL VOTE IN COMMITTEE
|
Date adopted |
24.4.2012 |
|
|
|
|
|
Result of final vote |
+: –: 0: |
18 0 0 |
|||
|
Members present for the final vote |
Margrete Auken, Elena Băsescu, Philippe Boulland, Simon Busuttil, Giles Chichester, Lidia Joanna Geringer de Oedenberg, Roger Helmer, Carlos José Iturgaiz Angulo, Peter Jahr, Lena Kolarska-Bobińska, Erminia Mazzoni, Csaba Sándor Tabajdi, Jarosław Leszek Wałęsa |
||||
|
Substitute(s) present for the final vote |
Zoltán Bagó, Birgit Collin-Langen, Kinga Göncz, Phil Prendergast |
||||
|
Substitute(s) under Rule 187(2) present for the final vote |
Kyriacos Triantaphyllides |
||||
RESULT OF FINAL VOTE IN COMMITTEE
|
Date adopted |
30.5.2012 |
|
|
|
|
|
Result of final vote |
+: –: 0: |
53 0 0 |
|||
|
Members present for the final vote |
Kriton Arsenis, Sophie Auconie, Pilar Ayuso, Sergio Berlato, Lajos Bokros, Milan Cabrnoch, Martin Callanan, Chris Davies, Esther de Lange, Anne Delvaux, Bas Eickhout, Edite Estrela, Jill Evans, Elisabetta Gardini, Matthias Groote, Satu Hassi, Jolanta Emilia Hibner, Karin Kadenbach, Christa Klaß, Corinne Lepage, Peter Liese, Kartika Tamara Liotard, Zofija Mazej Kukovič, Linda McAvan, Radvilė Morkūnaitė-Mikulėnienė, Miroslav Ouzký, Vladko Todorov Panayotov, Andres Perello Rodriguez, Mario Pirillo, Pavel Poc, Anna Rosbach, Oreste Rossi, Kārlis Šadurskis, Carl Schlyter, Richard Seeber, Theodoros Skylakakis, Bogusław Sonik, Salvatore Tatarella, Anja Weisgerber, Åsa Westlund, Glenis Willmott, Sabine Wils |
||||
|
Substitute(s) present for the final vote |
Gaston Franco, James Nicholson, Eva Ortiz Vilella, Justas Vincas Paleckis, Vittorio Prodi, Britta Reimers, Michèle Rivasi, Alda Sousa, Bart Staes, Marita Ulvskog, Andrea Zanoni |
||||