8 Amendments of Gisela KALLENBACH related to 2008/2074(INI)
Amendment 6 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Urges the Council, without further delay, to adopt the proposed EU Solidarity Fund regulation in order to provide a better definition of the criteria and eligible operations, including droughts, and hence enable damage caused by natural disasters to be countered more effectively, flexibly, and swiftly, bearing in mind also that Parliament adopted its position as long ago as May 2006; points out however that water scarcity and droughts are often consequences of failed water policy and thus calls on the Commission to define as eligibility criteria for the EUSF evidence of risk prevention and water saving measures in the Member States and regions and the absence of any infringement of the Water Framework Directive (Directive 2000/60/EC);
Amendment 8 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1a (new)
Paragraph 1a (new)
1a. Welcomes the fact that water saving is the Commission's first priority in reply to water scarcity and droughts and that additional water supply infrastructures shall only be considered as an option when other options have been exhausted; calls on the Commission and the Member States to verify and ensure that the use of Structural Funds does not contradict this strategy and to make evidence of full utilisation of water savings and other options as well as full compliance with the requirements of the Water Framework Directive a condition for receiving funds;
Amendment 12 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Calls on regional and local authorities to take advantage of the great opportunities offered by the Structural Funds by opting for investment in improvement or renewal of existing infrastructure investment linked to water management, in particular to address the challenge of water efficiency; in regions where water resources are wasted due to leakage in the water pipes; stresses that investment in new infrastructure should only be co-financed by Structural Funds when improvement and substantial progress in water saving has been proven;
Amendment 17 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3a (new)
Paragraph 3a (new)
3a. Stresses that worldwide experience has shown that river diversion leads to irreparable damage of the ecological and hydromorphological conditions and may entail population removal and business relocation which disturb social and economic cohesion; calls on the Member States to prevent any deterioration of their river basins and observe scrupulously the requirements set out in Articles 1 and 4 of the Water Framework Directive (Directive 2000/60/EC), and calls on the Commission to refuse any EU funding for projects that do not comply with these requirements;
Amendment 27 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Calls on the Member States and the authorities concerned to pay heed to water- related considerations in their land-use planning, especially in connection with the development of economic activities in sensitive river basins; stresses that any consumption of water regardless of its purpose must be subject to the water tariff regime in force and that no exemption from payment is acceptable;
Amendment 31 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5a (new)
Paragraph 5a (new)
5a. Condemns the authorisation of urban developments and tourist resorts being built on territories that cannot meet the water demand for maintenance of these projects; points out that such projects lead to an increasing demand for desalination plants which contribute substantially to climate change; calls on the Commission to approve EU funding only for desalination plants that provide water for urban developments or tourist resorts built before 2006;
Amendment 32 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5b (new)
Paragraph 5b (new)
5b. Emphasises that water is a public asset and an essential part of services of general interest; refuses any attempt to interpret water as an economic asset;
Amendment 36 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 6a (new)
Paragraph 6a (new)
6a. Calls on the Commission to analyse in more detail the man-made causes of water scarcity in order to better tackle their impacts and devise the necessary measures;