MOTION FOR A RESOLUTION on the situation of the Jordan River with special regard to the Lower Jordan River area
1.9.2010
pursuant to Rule 115(5) of the Rules of Procedure
Rodi Kratsa-Tsagaropoulou, José Ignacio Salafranca Sánchez-Neyra, Elmar Brok, Ioannis Kasoulides, Cristian Dan Preda on behalf of the PPE Group
See also joint motion for a resolution RC-B7-0484/2010
B7‑0486/2010
European Parliament resolution on the situation of the Jordan River with special regard to the Lower Jordan River area
The European Parliament,
– having regard to its previous resolutions on the Middle East,
– having regard to the Treaty of Peace between the State of Israel and the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan of 1994,
– having regard to the Joint Declaration of the Paris Summit for the Mediterranean of 13 July 2008,
– having regard to the Recommendation on The Situation in the Jordan Valley of the Euro-Mediterranean Parliamentary Assembly Ad Hoc Committee on Energy, Environment and Water of 14 March 2010,
– having regard to Rules 115(5) and 110(2) of its Rules of Procedure,
A. whereas the Jordan River, and the Lower Jordan River in particular, is a cultural landscape of universal significance with great historic, symbolic, religious, environmental, agricultural and economic importance in the Middle East and beyond,
B. whereas the Jordan River has been devastated by overexploitation, pollution and lack of regional management; whereas an estimated 98% of the River’s fresh water resources have been diverted by Israel, Jordan and Syria with a resulting 50% loss of biodiversity,
C. whereas the building of new wastewater treatment centres aimed at removing serious pollutants is a major achievement; whereas, if fresh water resources are not allocated to the Lower Jordan River to coincide with the operation of these centres, long stretches of the River will likely run dry by the end of 2011,
D. whereas the rehabilitation of the Jordan River, and the Lower Jordan River area in particular, is of the greatest importance for Israeli, Jordanian and Palestinian local communities sharing the same water challenges, and offers tremendous economic and trust-building benefits; whereas active cooperation between governments and local communities concerned may be a major contribution to regional peace efforts,
E. whereas EU funding has been contributing to attempts to alleviate environmental challenges faced in the Lower Jordan River area,
1. Calls for attention to and expresses its concern about the devastation of the Jordan River, and the Lower Jordan River in particular;
2. Calls on the authorities of the countries concerned to cooperate and rehabilitate the Jordan River by elaborating and implementing policies focusing on tangible results in domestic and agricultural water demand management, water conservation, and the management of sewage and agricultural and industrial effluents as well as to ensure that an adequate quantity of fresh water flows into the Lower Jordan River;
3. Welcomes the cooperation between Israeli, Jordanian and Palestinian local communities sharing the same water challenges in the Lower Jordan River area; calls on Israel and Jordan to fully honour commitments made in their Treaty of Peace concerning the rehabilitation of the Jordan River;
4. Welcomes the initiative by the Israeli Ministry of Environment to elaborate a master plan for landscape development in the Lower Jordan River area; urges the Jordanian Government and the Palestinian Authority to take similar initiatives with the aim of adopting master plans for the rehabilitation of sections of the River that flow through their respective territories; notes that such master plans could become a basis for a comprehensive regional plan to rehabilitate and protect the Lower Jordan River area;
5. Welcomes the application of advanced water management methods and technologies in the Lower Jordan River area, especially in Israel, and encourages the transfer of these methods and technologies to all countries in the region; calls on the international community, including the European Union, to step up efforts aimed at providing further financial and technical support to projects in this field;
6. Calls on the Council, the Commission, and EU Member States to encourage and support a comprehensive plan to rectify the devastation of the Jordan River and to continue to supply financial and technical support towards the rehabilitation of the Jordan River, and the Lower Jordan River in particular, also in the framework of the Union for the Mediterranean;
7. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, the governments and parliaments of the Member States, the Quartet Envoy to the Middle East, the Knesset and the Israeli Government, the Parliament and Government of Jordan, the Parliament and Government of Lebanon, the President of the Palestinian National Authority, the Palestinian Legislative Council, and the Parliament and Government of Syria.