Istungi stenogramm

Neljapäev, 5. oktoober 2023 - Strasbourg

12.3. Asulareovee puhastamine (A9-0276/2023 - Nils Torvalds)

Oral explanations of vote

  Seán Kelly (PPE). – Mr President, I presume you won’t be calling me again to repeat what I said! But if you do I will.

So I am pleased to support MEP Torvalds’ proposal and in particular, I would like to highlight the excellent work done by my colleague Deirdre Clune. The current Urban Wastewater Treatment Directive is over 30 years old. Despite its success in reducing pollution from wastewater, I support my colleague’s aim to adapt this directive to new challenges we face today. The revision of the Urban Wastewater Treatment Directive will also ensure the consequences of climate change are better addressed. The frequency and intensity of heavy rainfall represent a threat to the efficiency of sanitation systems. I am glad to see that this directive shifts the burden away from Member States and back onto the polluters themselves, as well as recognition of the key role sanitation plays in public health.

  Ivan Vilibor Sinčić (NI). – Poštovani predsjedavajući, uzalud brojne direktive kad je provođenje politike zaštite okoliša i voda u praksi katastrofa.

U Hrvatskoj imamo pročistač voda u Sisku, gradu od 40 tisuća stanovnika, koji ima kapacitet 60 tisuća ekvivalentnih stanovnika i sad se još hoće proširiti na 80 tisuća. Projekt je neadekvatan i neće se moći jednoga dana održavati i sanirati. Bit će ekološka katastrofa i bankrotirat će lokalnu zajednicu.

To nije jedini primjer. U Grčkoj imamo Grammaticos, imamo zatim primjer iz Rumunjske gdje su uloženi brojni novci u sustav gospodarenja otpadom. Brojni su projekti promašaji. U dalekom Libanonu uloženo je 100 milijuna eura u sustav gospodarenja otpadom. Nije se dogodilo ništa, projekti su katastrofa. Tamošnje ministarstvo odbija odgovornost.

Naravno, za Hrvatsku sam govorio beskonačno puta u ovome domu. Čak je i Državna revizija na kraju potvrdila da sam bio u pravu. Dakle, dok god ekipa u JASPERS-u i u Komisiji koja potvrđuje ovakve loše projekte ne podnese odgovornost ili dok ih se ne rastjera, direktive su uzaludne.

  Mick Wallace (The Left). – Mr President, the new level four treatment of wastewater requirement will mean treatment services will have to screen out micro-pollutants for the first time, including pollution from pharmaceutical and cosmetics industries. These new requirements will require water services in many Member States to dramatically improve their service provision, none more so than in Ireland. Irish Water operates over 1 000 wastewater treatment plants in Ireland, yet 180 of these plants are still only providing level one treatment.

In Ireland, there are still 32 towns and villages discharging raw sewage untreated into the sea and rivers. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, just 51% of wastewater was treated according to the existing EU standards last year. Water infrastructure in Ireland has suffered from massive underfunding for decades. The cost burden shouldn’t be on households. It should be a human right. The Irish people have emphatically rejected water charges before now. What we do need is adequate public investment in our water infrastructure and the referendum in Ireland to make sure water remains in public ownership.