WRITTEN QUESTION P-1043/02

by Antonios Trakatellis (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(8 April 2002)

Subject: Management of water resources in Greece

The sustainable management of water resources and the acute problems of desertification and drought are future environmental challenges requiring convincing responses from the countries of southern Europe. In Greece, for example, there has been a continual decline in rain and snowfall since 1980 which, in conjunction with a lack of water resource management, results in severe water shortages which not only affect many areas of the country on a seasonal and geographically limited basis but also strike at the economy in general and farming in particular. In addition, the Greek authorities are taking a piecemeal and selective approach through a recent draft law to bringing their policy into line with the provisions of Directive 2000/60/EC(1) establishing a framework for Community action in the field of water policy, which sets a deadline of 2003 for compliance.

Failure to take appropriate measures to implement the directive concerned exacerbates the shortcomings of the country's water policy, particularly in agriculture. Moreover, the authority designated to implement the directive in Greece is not suited to the task.

Will the Commission, therefore, say:

- how many river basin districts have been identified in Greece and for how many of those districts river basin management plans have been or are being drawn up,

- what measures have been taken to protect the internal, transient, coastal and ground waters and whether a register of protected areas has been drawn up to protect their surface and ground waters or to conserve the ecotopes and the species directly dependent on the water, and

- whether the bodies of water used for the abstraction of water intended for human consumption providing more than 10 m3 a day as an average or serving more than 50 persons have been identified and what measures have been taken on the basis of the principle of recovery of the costs of water services, including environmental and natural resource costs?

(1) OJ L 327, 22.12.2000.

Answer given by Mrs Wallström on behalf of the Commission

(3 May 2002)

The Water Framework Directive, Directive 2000/60/EC of the Parliament and of the Council of 23 October 2000 establishing a framework for Community action in the field of water policy(1), has set the objective to protect all waters, groundwaters and surface waters, based on the principle of river basin management.

Leading to achieving, by 2015, the environmental objectives is a comprehensive preparatory phase, including all the issues raised in the question:

- formal transposition into national legislation: to be done by December 2003;

- identification of river basins and competent authority for the river basin(s): to be done by December 2003, and notification to the Commission by June 2004;

- register of protected areas (including drinking water abstraction areas): to be done by December 2004;

- monitoring system: to be operational by December 2006;

- river basin management plans and programmes of the necessary measures to achieve the environmental objective: to be developed with mandatory participation of all interested and involved parties, stakeholders and non-govermental organisations (NGOs), and to be finalised by December 2009;

- water pricing, taking into account the principle of recovery of costs, to be operational by 2010.

Achieving these objectives, also and in particular in the preparatory phase, is being supported by an unprecedented cooperation of Commission, Member States, Candidate Countries, NGOs and stakeholders in the framework of a Common Implementation Strategy.

This strategy, agreed only four months after the coming into force of the directive, will focus on:

- exchange of information;

- development of guidance documents;

- management of information and data;

- application and testing in pilot river basins.

The Commission is aware of the fact that in Greece as well as in other Member States and Candidate Countries preparations for implementing the Water Framework Directive are under way. The Commission is, within the Common Implementation Strategy, actively supporting efforts for implementation.

Deadlines for compliance with obligations are from December 2003 onwards.

The Commission will, complementing its efforts within the Common Implementation Strategy, in its role as Guardian of the EC Treaty, carefully observe compliance with objectives and deadlines under Directive 2000/60/EC, and take the necessary steps where appropriate. However, as elaborated, objectives and obligations described in the question are not required to be delivered yet.

Both the National Operational Programme-Rural Development for Greece (2000-2006) and the thirteen Regional Operational Programmes of the country take into consideration the provisions of the Water Framework Directive 2000/60/EC. This is a binding sine qua non condition for the implementation of any related measures and actions. This is in particular applies for all measures related to the management of the surface and ground water resources but as well others that are more technical, such as the Cartography and the typology of the soils. Close cooperation between the Ministry of agriculture and the Ministry of Environment and Public Works is foreseen in order to guarantee regulatory compliance and the optimization of the water resources of the country, including for agricultural purposes.

(1) OJ L 327, 22.12.2000.