Article on EUREAU in ENDS
Industry calls for water to be part of climate debate
Fixing Europe’s inefficient water usage should be part of the EU’s environmental agenda, water industry lobby group Eureau has said in a report showing that 80% of abstracted water in Europe goes to agriculture.
The report, presented at Green Week in Brussels, showed that much of the water used for agriculture is needlessly of drinking quality, which uses a good deal of energy to produce. It warns water is becoming more scarce in Europe (EE 04/07/07), and urges farmers to monitor the quantity of water they use (EE 25/05/09). Spokesman Gregory Mathieu also said there was “not enough of a link between climate change and water”. “In Copenhagen, there is no place for water on the agenda,” he added.
The water association is calling for an overhaul of Europe’s water policy (EE 03/06/09) as part of a revision of the common agricultural policy (CAP) set to begin in 2010. The group wants the adoption of better irrigation policies similar to those in place in water-scarce countries such as Israel and Australia. It is also calling for the EU to base water prices on volume, and to encourage farmers to have more sustainable practices.
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