Activities of Nikolaos CHOUNTIS related to 2011/2297(INI)
Plenary speeches (1)
Implementation of EU water legislation (debate)
Amendments (11)
Amendment 3 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Declares that water is a shared resource of humankind and a public good and therefore should not be a source of profit, 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 to review the relevant legislation, particularly that on public procurement and concessions, so aand the Member States to guarantee public ownership and management of water and water utilities;
Amendment 9 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
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 now affects the whole territory of some Member States on a permanent basis; 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;
Amendment 11 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 a (new)
Paragraph 2 a (new)
2a. 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;
Amendment 14 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Expresses concerns that in the field of WFD implementation at present, ineffective application and enforcement remains a major problem; current implementation status shows that some Member States lag behind schedule, that the integrity of EU's waters is far from acceptable and that the objectives of other EU policies, including on industry, energy, agriculture and transport, are often in open contradiction with the ‘water protection’ objectives; highlights that good water management has to be integrated into all European policies on sectors that use and pollute water;
Amendment 18 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 a (new)
Paragraph 5 a (new)
5a. 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 and recalls its resolution on Waste Management which drew attention to the dangerous levels of water contamination resulting from badly managed or illegal landfill sites and quarries which led to infiltration and pollution of groundwater and of water tables (nappes phréatiques);
Amendment 20 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. 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 collecting systems infrastructure in the EU, including the reuse of treated waste water for irrigation and industrial purposes;
Amendment 21 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. Notes also that since 1988, among the petitions relating to environmental complaints addressed to the Committee on Petitions, 589601 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;
Amendment 22 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 7 a (new)
Paragraph 7 a (new)
7a. Takes note that according to a Eurobarometer survey (March 2012), 68 % of Europeans think that water quantity and quality problems are serious, eight out of ten 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, while 67 % think that the most effective way of tackling water problems would be awareness-raising about water related problems, and 73 % of European citizens think that the EU should propose additional measures to address water problems in Europe;
Amendment 26 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 9
Paragraph 9
9. InvitesCalls on the European Commission to be more determined in its inquiries, and therefore much less passive and accommodatingcarefully monitor the implementation by the Member States of the WFD so as to ensure that it is done properly and effectively; 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;
Amendment 30 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 10
Paragraph 10
10. Draws attention to the existence of certain activities denounced by the petitioners, including waste landfills, urban development, agriculture and, industry and energy, which produce a great impact on the environment and human health and are responsible for poor water quality; calls therefore for the abandonment of subsidies which undermine incentives for efficient water management by creating overuse, and to free up funds for targeted subsidies – in particular for poor and rural populations – aimed at affordable access for allin order to ensure efficient water management and to reduce environmental impacts;
Amendment 48 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 15 a (new)
Paragraph 15 a (new)
15a. Believes that public involvement is a precondition for the water protection and for the identification of both the problems and the most appropriate measures to solve them; therefore asks for more cooperation between the responsible national, regional and local authorities of the Member States and the Petitions Committee when the latter is dealing with the direct concerns of European citizens in reference to water issues;