European Union policy concerning the protection of the environment and natural resources has steadily grown in importance since the 1980s. The reason for this is that the threats of environmental damage and depletion of the natural resources are still far from being under control. Fortunately, many people have become more aware of the lurking dangers and have demanded stronger action at national and, especially, European level in in order to protect the environment. As a result, the arsenal of measures at our disposal in order to conduct environmental policy, ranging from legislation to financial instruments, has been strengthened enormously. Our policy has also become much broader and more diversified, covering all sectors of society and encompassing a wide range of instruments.
Some topics are of particular concern to many citizens.
One of these is water management though it is for most people within the European Union self-evident to have access to clean water in quite abundant quantities. Global water consumption has increased seven-fold since the beginning of the 20 th century. Nevertheless, in Europe, most people enjoy adequate supplies of fresh, clean water. But water resources are under threat from many human activities. Industry is using water in large quantities for cooling and cleaning.