WRITTEN QUESTION E-1023/01

by Giorgos Dimitrakopoulos (PPE-DE) and Konstantinos Hatzidakis (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(30 March 2001)

Subject: Water shortage in Thessaly

According to recent Greek press reports, Thessaly is suffering from an acute shortage of water. The present situation is extremely alarming and is characterised by a decline in rainfall, an increase in cultivated areas, overexploitation of ground water supplies and problems in replenishing supplies from these sources. Over the last few years rainfall in the region has declined by over 30 millimetres annually, while a large proportion of water in the Rivers Pinios, Enippea, Farsalitis and Titarisio flows into the sea and is thus lost to agriculture, work on the diversion of the upper Acheloos River has come to a standstill and the dams for gathering water are inadequate. The water-table is steadily falling every year, since 13 000 wells have been bored to find water at a great depth.

81 % of the total irrigated land - 88 300 hectares - is irrigated using underground water sources, the rest - 20 700 hectares - being irrigated with surface water. Moreover, 70 % of this total is irrigated from private wells and a mere 30 % from collective state projects. Furthermore, the increase in irrigated areas by 26 088,8 hectares over the last decade - without the necessary land improvement schemes to accompany this increase - and the imbalance of supply and demand mean that farmers with irrigated land in this region are facing serious problems.

Local community leaders, agronomists and farmers argue that the root of the crisis is mismanagement rather than an essential lack of water. They say the problem could be solved by using winter rainwater, transporting water from other regions and carrying out infrastructure work, such as dams, reservoirs, coated water channels and closed systems and at the same time pushing ahead as fast as possible with the projects on the Rivers Acheloos, Smokovo and Karla.

In view of the above, will the Commission say:

1. Is it aware of this state of affairs?

2. Are the measures in respect of the irrigation projects and specifically the diversion of the River Acheloos deemed eligible for funding?

3. Has it received proposals in this connection from the Greek State?

4. What action does it intend to take if it has received such proposals?

Answer given by Mr Barnier on behalf of the Commission

(28 May 2001)

The Commission is aware of the problem of the management of water resources in Greece, which seems particularly severe in the plain of Thessaly. During negotiation of the Community support framework (CSF) for the 2000-2006 programming period, the Commission considered these problems with the Greek authorities. Concrete measures and actions, including for example the rehabilitation of the former Lake Karla in Thessaly, were agreed and included in the CSF.

The Greek authorities submitted several proposals for the management of water and agricultural resources as part of the agricultural measures. Thus the new plan to reduce nitrates in the Thessaly plain will be extended to 35 100 ha under the agri-environmental measures (Chapter VI of Council Regulation (EC) No 1257/1999 of 17 May 1999 on support for rural development from the European Agricultural Guidance and Guarantee Fund (EAGGF) and amending and repealing certain Regulations(1)) thus covering a part of the area of the action plan for the nitrates directive (Council Directive 91/676/EEC of 12 December 1991 concerning the protection of water against pollution by nitrates from agricultural(2) sources) originally planned to cover 500 000 ha. Moreover, the Thessaly regional operational programme for 2000-2006 provided for reparcelling and related work on approximately 4 100 ha, while it is also planned to complete work on using surface water (e.g. completion and development of the Agioneri and Panagiotiko dams and of the Smocovo tunnel, etc.). Any new operation

will also have to comply with the principle of economic and sustainable water management and during implementation of the programme every care will be taken to regulate recourse to ground waters by boreholes and, if necessary, restrictive measures, or even bans, imposed on the digging and use of boreholes.

The diversion of the Acheloos river towards Thessaly is not part of this CSF and the Commission received no proposal for part-financing for it. Such a proposal was submitted in 1994 under the CSF for 1994-1999 but lapsed because the Greek authorities took no further action on it. If this proposal were submitted again, the Commission would examine it in the light of the rules in force.

(1) OJ L 160, 26.6.1999.

(2) OJ L 375, 31.12.1991.