WRITTEN QUESTION P-0010/03

by Alexander de Roo (Verts/ALE) to the Commission

(10 January 2003)

Subject: European Water Authority

Member States are faced increasingly frequently with high water levels and flooding of rivers, particularly the Danube, Elbe, Meuse and Scheldt.

This problem can be partially explained by the absence of an overall water management body. Such a body would not be concerned primarily with the quality of the water. Considerable progress has been made in that area in the past few decades, particularly in the form of the Water Framework Directive (2000/60/EC(1)), which comes into force on 22 December 2003. This EU law states only (Annex I) that the water quantity must be registered, but not that it must be regulated.

Alongside this, international water control bodies, such as the Rhine Commission and the Danube Commission, already exist. However, the existing international water management bodies have no powers as regards the management of water quantity. In managing the quantity of river water, too many of the bodies responsible at regional and national level pay too little attention to creating natural retention areas, with careful management of forelands and a sustainable policy for embankments. This neglect often has devastating effects on downstream rivers, as we experienced in 2002 in the case of the Elbe and Danube, and as happens almost every year in the case of the Rhine, the Meuse and the Scheldt.

Does the Commission agree that management of the water quantity in the basins of rivers that flow through more than one country is a cross-border problem that can only be effectively dealt with at European level?

Is the Commission prepared in the short term to investigate whether there is an appropriate legal basis in the European Treaties to establish a European authority for the basins of the major cross-border rivers, beginning with the Elbe, Rhine, Meuse and Scheldt, with a view to addressing the cross-border problem of water quantity?

If the existing laws and regulations do not, in the opinion of the Commission, provide an adequate basis for this, is it prepared to state what steps it believes must be taken to create a legal basis which does make it possible to tackle cross-border issues of water quantity in the major European rivers?

(1) OJ L 327, 22.12.2000, p. 1.

Answer given by Mrs Wallström on behalf of the Commission

(6 February 2003)

The Water Framework Directive(1) addresses selected aspects of water quantity such as water quantity being a mandatory part of good groundwater status, providing for a sustainable long-term balance between resources available and abstractions. Whilst it will contribute to mitigating the effects of floods and droughts (cf Article 1(e)), it does not per se set operational targets for flood prevention and flood protection, not least with a view to the legal basis of article 175(1) of the EC Treaty.

The International River Conventions mentioned by the Honourable Member (Rhine, Elbe, Schelde, Maas) do have flood prevention among their statutory objectives and are actively involved in addressing flood prevention and flood protection(2). The Commission representing the Community in the bodies of these conventions is proactively supporting these efforts.

The Commission, Member States and Candidate Countries have in 2002 started comprehensive cooperation on the issue of flooding. Beyond the formal scope of the Water Framework Directive, exchange of information, knowledge and experience on flood prevention and flood protection will, during 2003, lead to a joint document on best practices in flood prediction, prevention and mitigation. At the same time the Commission is working on a horizontal initiative addressing environmental risks (forest fires, earthquakes, flood events, and technological risks), with a Commission Communication foreseen during the first half of 2003. Following discussion on this Communication and the collating of best practices, the Commission will consider the need for and the scope of possible legislative frameworks. In parallel, the Commission's Joint Research Centre has developed a flood prediction and modelling instrument for the Oder river basin. This instrument is now to be applied to and made operational for the Elbe and Danube basins as well.

In the context of Community funding, the Community Initiative Interreg III of the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) for the period 2000-2006 can, on the operational level, contribute to support ongoing actions at international level for flood prevention and protection. In particular its strand B, for transnational co-operation, promotes the good management of natural resources, in particular water resources, following an integrated spatial planning approach.

Transnational programmes cover cross-border river basins, such as the Rhine-Meuse (North West Europe programme) and the Danube or the Oder-Neiss (Cadses programme Central, Adriatic and South -Eastern Europe) or the Alpine Space covering the alpine regions. These programmes include among their priorities actions to prevent natural disasters, such as flooding.

The types of actions that can be funded on a transnational basis include:

- formulation of joint strategies for risk management in areas prone to flooding;

- drawing up and implementation of integrated strategies and actions for the prevention of flooding in transnational river-catchment areas;

- infrastructure investments, for instance for creating retention and overflow areas or for the Restoration of the natural course of tributaries and of overflow areas;

- improvement of observation, forecasting, data exchange, monitoring and risk management as well as testing new technologies (e.g. simulation models, meteorological monitoring etc.) on various scales;

- development of new and more efficient planning tools (danger zone plans, models) for the prevention of natural disasters in areas prone to flooding;

- development of information systems for an optimum spreading of information in order to protect population from flooding, thus raising public awareness on risks;

- improving existing forecasting/warning systems. Promotion and realisation of good practice e.g. enhancement of monitoring, warning and protection systems.

In the framework of these programmes, several projects are already addressing these issues and bringing together different actors, working together to improve flooding prevention.

In the previous structural Funds programming period (1997-1999), the Initiative IRMA (Interreg Rhein-Meuse Activities) already provided financial support for the prevention of flooding in the Rhine-Meuse basin (over EUR 130 million from the ERDF for a total funding of over EUR 400 million).

In the present period, from 2000 to 2006, the programme North West Europe has by far reserved the most important budget for flood prevention its measure for The prevention of flood damage amounts to some EUR 92,3 million, of which EUR 46,2 million from the ERDF. The Cadses programme, in its priority for Environment protection reserves about EUR 28,5 million for possible actions in the field of environment protection, risk management and integrated water management. Finally, the Alpine Space programme, its measure Co-operation in the field of natural risks foresees a total of EUR 17 million, of which EUR 8,5 million from the ERDF.

(1) 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.

(2) Rhine: action plan flood protection adopted, implementation ongoing. Elbe: flood protection strategy adopted, draft action programme currently validated following the 2002 flood disaster, adoption foreseen end-2003. Danube river: minimisation of impacts of floods as part of the adopted action programme, follow-up evaluation ongoing. Maas and Scheldt: flood prevention and protection is key part of the recently signed new Conventions.