Commission staff working document - Accompanying document to the report from the Commission to the Council and the european Parliament - Second Follow-up Report to the Communication on water scarcity and droughts in the European Union (COM(2007) 414 final) {COM(2010)228 final}
Date: 2010-05-18
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: EU waters, climate change, conservation of resources, drought, environmental protection, fixing of prices, information system, report, town and country planning, use of water

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EUROPEAN COMMISSION  

Brussels, 18.5.2010 
SEC(2010)573 

COMMISSION STAFF WORKING DOCUMENT 

Accompanying document to the 

REPORT FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE COUNCIL 
AND THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT 

Second Follow-up Report to the Communication on water scarcity and droughts in the 
European Union (COM(2007) 414 final) 

{COM(2010)228 final} 

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Follow-up of the Work programme for the implementation of the measures of the 
Communication on water scarcity and droughts 

POLICY OPTIONS 

RESPONSIBILITY 

 TIMING 

STATE OF PLAY 

1. PUTTING THE RIGHT PRICE TAG ON WATER 

– 

Combining  effective  water  pricing 
with metering 

– 

– 

– 

Introduce water pricing policies with incentives 
for efficient water use; make the "user pays" 
principle the rule (Article 9 WFD) 

National 

By 2010  Reported to be 
advanced – to 
be checked in 
the RBMPs 

Continue efforts to spread metering programmes 
more widely in all water using sectors - including 
compulsory controls on abstractions (Article11(3) 
of WFD) 
Take into account the OECD Work Programme 
on sustainable financing for sound water 
management 

2.  ALLOCATING  WATER  AND  WATER-RELATED 

FUNDING MORE EFFICIENTLY 

Ongoing 

End 2008-
March 
2009 

– 

Improving land-use planning 

– 

– 

– 

Policy options of White Paper on adaptation to 
climate change 
Follow-up of CAP Health Check on cross-
compliance 
Discussions on the post-2013 CAP (in the 
framework of the cross-compliance system) and 
cohesion policies 
Study on impact of biofuel development on water 
availability 
Continue stringent implementation of SEA 
Directive in all economic sectors 

EU 

From 2009  Ongoing 

EU 

2008/2009 

Ongoing 

EU 

From 2013  Not started 

EU 

Nov 2008 

Completed 

National 

Now 

Ongoing 

– 

Financing water efficiency 

– 

– 

– 

Followup of CAP Health Check on modulation 
and rural development 
Study on place of WFD issues in rural 
development programmes 

EU 

2008/2009 

Ongoing 

EU 

Oct 2008 

Completed 

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Consider with Member States review of 
Community strategic guidelines on cohesion 
2007-2013 

EU and 
national 

From 2009 

No review 
foreseen. 
Guidelines to 
be 
supplemented 
by a 
Communication

Discussions on the post-2013 CAP (in the 
framework of the cross-compliance system)  
Improve use of EU and national funds for water 
management within the programmes for 2007-
2013 (including as a result of on-going 
evaluations) 
Continue efforts to further develop fiscal 
incentives to promote water-efficient devices and 
practices  

3. IMPROVING DROUGHT RISK MANAGEMENT 

EU 

From 2013  Not started 

National 

2009/2010 

Ongoing 

National 

Now 

Ongoing 

– 

Developing  drought  risk  management 
plans 

– 

– 

– 

Report on drought management plans 
Development of drought management plans 
(pursuant to article 13(5) WFD) 

EU 
National 

2007 
By end 
2009 

Completed 
Delay of the 
consultation 
procedures on 
draft RBMP – 
to be checked 
in the RBMPs 

– 

Developing  an  observatory  and  an 
early warning system on droughts 

– 

– 

– 

Develop European Drought Observatory and early 
warning system 

EU 

By 2012 

Prototype 
testing ongoing

– 

Further  optimising  the  use  of  the  EU 
Solidarity  Fund  and  the  European 
Mechanism for Civil Protection 

– 

In the framework of the next budget review 
examine whether further progress needs to be 
made in the definition of the criteria and eligible 
operations for the use of the EUSF to better 
respond to drought events 
In relation to the Community Civil Protection 
Mechanism, consider all opportunities to focus on 
drought issues in future annual work programmes.

– 

– 

EU 

From 2009  Preparatory 

work ongoing 

From 2009  Completed  

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Request the Civil Protection Expert Group on 
early warning systems to develop an approach to 
optimise the use of the drought early warning 
system and anticipate any civil protection 
preparatory action  

Not completed 

EU 

Once early 
warning 
system 
operational 

4.  CONSIDERING  ADDITIONAL  WATER  SUPPLY 

INFRAESTRUCTURES 

Commission preliminary assessment of alternative 
options 
Take all adverse effects linked to any new water 
supply infrastructure fully into account in the 
environmental assessment 

5. FOSTERING WATER EFFICIENT TECHNOLOGIES 

AND PRACTICES 

Assessment of possible needs for standards for 
water-using devices 
Commission's proposal to include certain water-
using devices in the Ecodesign Directive 
Consider inclusion of water efficiency criteria in 
performance standards for buildings 
Assessment of possible need for a new directive 
for the water performance of buildings 
Inclusion of a performance indicator on the use of 
water in the proposal for revising the EMAS 
Regulation 
Enhance efforts to further adopt binding 
performance criteria for new buildings and for 
public and private networks, with systems of fines 
for excessive leakages 
Continue efforts to develop voluntary agreements 
with economic sectors that need water 

6.  FOSTERING  THE  EMERGENCE  OF  A  WATER 

SAVING CULTURE IN EUROPE 

Explore, together with CSR Europe, the 
possibility of launching an Alliance initiative on 
the efficient use of water 

– 

Follow-up of Action Plan on SCP/SIP 

Encourage the extension of existing EU labelling 
schemes in order to promote water-friendly 
devices 

– 

Follow-up of Green Paper on agricultural 
product quality 

EU 

Nov 2008 

Completed 

National 

Now 

Ongoing 

EU 

Mid 2009  Completed 

EU 

July 2008  Completed 

EU 

From 2009  Ongoing 

EU 

Mid 2009  Ongoing 

EU 

July 2008 

Completed 

National 

Now 

Only few 
countries 
reported actions

EU and 
National 

Now 

Ongoing 

EU 

End 2008  Will not be 

launched in the 
near future 

EU 

2008/2009 

Ongoing 

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Consider in the light of the public consultation 
how (1) water management can be better 
integrated into certification schemes (2) these 
schemes can be used to promote water-friendly 
products 
Continue efforts to develop actions in education, 
information and communication 

National 

Now 

Ongoing 

7. 

IMPROVING  KNOWLEDGE  AND  DATA 

COLLECTION 

– 

Set  up  a  water  scarcity  and  drought 
information 
throughout 
system 
Europe 

– 

Set up agreed indicators on the extent and impacts 
of water scarcity and droughts 
Present an annual European assessment based on 
data provided by MS 

– 

Research 
development opportunities 

and 

technological 

Action focused on investigation of Europe's risk 
from droughts, including the development of a 
platform of exchange 

EU 

EU 

– 

EU 

– 

– 

2008/2009  Ongoing 

From 2009  Ongoing 

– 

– 

May 2008-
Nov 2009 

Launched 

ANNEX 

Additional information to the Second Follow-up Report to the Communication on water 
scarcity and droughts 

1. 

Putting the right price tag on water 

According to the information received from Member States, in general, it can be stated that 
the tariff systems for drinking water supply and sanitation adopted by most Member States 
are at a very advanced stage of implementation. However, charges for all non-domestic users 
are  being  implemented  more  slowly  (UK),  and  some  actions  are  still  necessary  regarding 
industrial and agricultural uses (BE). Most water suppliers are required by law to set tariffs to 
cover capital and operation and maintenance costs (FI). Capital costs are partly subsidised by 
the municipality only in some small municipal water utilities. The adaptation of tariff systems 
that  take  account  of  the  principle  of  cost  recovery  may  result  in  citizens'  water  bills  being 
increased,  which  makes  the  changes  difficult  to  accept:  the  new  tariff  systems  are, 
consequently being adopted gradually. 

Tariffs that recover the full supply and sanitation cost need to be increased in some cases by 
20%  (ES,  Galicia)  or  even  85%  (LT).  However,  some  current  cost  recovery  policies  do  not 
always include the resource and environmental costs. Some countries (PT, DE) have reported 
that  they  have  incorporated  these  costs  in  the  water  supply  or  wastewater  service  charges. 
Others partially recover these costs via taxes to be paid by water users (LT) or plan to recover 

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them through charges linked to agricultural diffuse pollution (nutrients and pesticides) rather 
than  to  water  intakes  (BE).  In  certain  parts  of  Europe  charging  principles  are  under 
development  while  other  parts  have  still  not  agreed  on  the  methodology  for  payments  by 
households 

The  effects  of  exhaustive  billing  measures  on  water  services  have  been  favourable  in  some 
Member States, where per capita consumption fell once prices rose in line with increased cost 
recovery, and the trend seems to continue.  

However,  in  other  Member  States  water  consumption  has  increased  even  though  costs  are 
being recovered in full. The application of progressive block tariffs1 (FR, UK, ES, MT, PT) 
and applying penalties for excessive consumption and discounts for water savings (ES) are the 
most  widespread  ways  of  discouraging  excessive  consumption.  Temporary  or  seasonal 
modification of prices (FR) or water resource levies depending on the scarcity rate associated 
with the basin concerned (PT, UK) are also applied for promoting water efficiency. 

Concerning  efforts  to  spread  metering  programmes  in  all  water-using  sectors,  including 
compulsory  controls  on  abstractions,  it  was  reported  that  the  use  of  meters  for  domestic 
drinking water supply is reaching a high level of implementation in MS (more than 90% in 
LT).  Some  shared  meters  in  collective  buildings  are  being  replaced  by  individual  meters  in 
each household. The metering of non-domestic water uses is also improving, especially where 
users are connected to the public supply (UK, Scotland). The metering and control of direct 
abstractions  by  final  users  is  also  required  and  is  usually  associated  with  the  authorisation 
process  itself  (AT,  CZ,  BE,  FR,  ES,  PL).  The  modernisation  of  irrigation  systems  and  the 
replacement  of  traditional  gravity  irrigation  with  pressurised  systems  (ES)  allows  easier 
metering of the supplied volume. In some southern European river basins legal measures have 
been adopted to also control the existing groundwater extractions (ES, FR). The programmes 
of measures in the RBMPs will provide information on how this will be implemented in the 
Member States.  

2. 

Allocating water and water-related funding more efficiently 

2.1. 

Improving land-use planning 

industry  and  environmental 

The  Commission  is  well  aware  of  the  complex  links  between  the  competitiveness  of  the 
tourism 
issues.  The  Commission-sponsored  Tourism 
Sustainability  Group  (TSG)  issued  a  report  on  'Action  for  more  sustainable  European 
Tourism' (2007), which inspired the Commission Communication “Agenda for a sustainable 
and  competitive  European  tourism”  (COM(2007)  621  final).  Minimising  resource  use  and 
pollution at tourism destinations is one of the key challenges identified also with regard to the 
reduction of the ecological footprint and stress on water. 

Actions  should  involve  strengthening  of  environmental  management  in  tourism  enterprises, 
(for  instance  through  the  diffusion  of  eco-management  schemes and  eco-labels,  like  the  EU 
flower for tourist accommodation services and camp sites) raising the awareness of visitors in 
an  effort  to  change  their  consumption  habits  and  providing  the  necessary  infrastructure  and 
management  systems  at  local  destination  level.  The  Commission  gives  financial  support  to 
tourism  associations  or  networks  (via  calls  for  proposals)  for  addressing  these  issues  and  is 

1 

These  embody  an  increase  in  the  volumetric  or  per  unit  charge  once  a  predetermined  threshold  of 
consumption is exceeded. 

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currently  exploring  the  possibilities  for  drawing  up  a  list  of  core  indicators  for  sustainable 
tourism development that will include measures on water management and sewage treatment. 
Moreover,  the  fourth  edition  of  the  European  Destinations  of  Excellence-Award  (EDEN2 
edition 2009/2010) focuses this time on 'Aquatic tourism', which will be further addressed in 
the  EDEN  Network.  The  EDEN  Network  is  a  platform  for  exchanging  good  practices  at 
European and national level.  

Regarding  the  water  efficiency  measures  in  urban  areas  there  are  some  initiatives  at  local 
level  to  promote  a  new  culture  of  water  management,  to  be  incorporated  in  municipalities´ 
development plans. NGOs are seeking to create a European Partnership of historical cities that 
will initiate the dialogue on solutions to retain rainwater in the urban environment. 

The  proposal  for  a  Soil  Framework  Directive3  is  being  discussed  by  the  Council  and  the 
European  Parliament.  Its  objective  is  to  maintain  the  functions  of  soil  and  in  particular  its 
water retention capacity, by halting soil degradation and reducing soil sealing. This will help 
overcome the impacts of floods and droughts and replenish groundwater tables. 

The  Common  Agricultural  Policy  (CAP)  Health  Check  agreed  in  2008  has  resulted  in 
changes  to  the  standards  for  Good  Agricultural  and  Environmental  Condition  (GAEC).  In 
particular,  in  line  with  the  commitment  made  in  the  Commission  Communication  on 
Preparing  for  the  'Health  Check'  of  the  CAP  reform4  to  respond  to  new  challenges,  better 
water management objectives have been included with regard to cross compliance with a new 
GAEC issue relating to protection and management of water. From 2010 Member States will 
have to define a standard that will apply at farm level regarding compliance with authorisation 
procedures  for  using  water  for  irrigation  when  such  use  is  subject  to  authorisation.  Other 
obligations  relating  cross-compliance  should  help  raise  farmers'  awareness  of  these 
authorisation procedures, in particular through the provision of better information to farmers 
and  the  possibility  of  having  CAP  payments  reduced  in  case  of  infringement.  The 
Commission  will  carefully  monitor  application  of  the  cross  compliance  rules  resulting  from 
the Health Check during the implementation phase. 

The CAP Health Check has also allowed better targeting of the Farm Advisory System (FAS). 
This system requires the national authorities to offer advice to farmers, at least on the rules 
included  in  cross-compliance.  With  the  inclusion  of  water  issues  in  the  scope  of  cross-
compliance,  the  FAS  will  consequently  incorporate  water  issues  from  2010.  Member  States 
may also use the FAS for advising farmers on standards extending beyond cross-compliance, 
e.g. water commitments under agri-environmental measures. 

In  December  2008  the  European  Parliament  and  the  Council  reached  agreement  on  the 
'Climate action and renewable energy package' that contains ambitious commitments to fight 
climate  change  and  promote  renewable  energy  up  to  2020  and  beyond.  The  Directive  on 
promotion  of  the  use  of  energy  from  renewable  sources  (Renewables  Directive5),  which  is 
part of the package, sets mandatory national targets for the share of renewable energy in final 
consumption  and  target  of  10%  renewable  energy  in  transport  by  2020.  The  Directive  also 
sets out sustainability criteria that biofuels and bioliquids will have to meet to be eligible to 
count  towards  the  Directive's  targets,  for  national  renewable  energy  obligations  and  for 

2 
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5 

http://ec.europa.eu/enterprise/sectors/tourism/eden/index_en.htm. 
COM(2006) 232, 22.9.2006. 
COM(2007) 722,20.11.2007. 
Directive 2009/28/EC of 23. April 2009 on the promotion of the use of energy from renewable sources. 

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national financial support. Water protection is not part of the mandatory sustainable criteria, 
but producers do have to ensure that the raw material used for biofuels is in compliance with 
CAP's  environmental  cross-compliance  rules,  which  includes  provisions  related  to  water 
protection (. The Directive also sets out reporting requirements on measures taken (if any) for 
e.g.water protection andrequires private operators to provide information on measures taken 
in areas where water is scarce. A Communication on the practical implementation of the EU 
biofuels/bioliquids sustainability scheme is under preparation.  

A significant increase in biomass production in the EU will not require total irrigation water 
consumption to be increased in most areas. Growing biomass that needs less water than the 
present  food  crops  could  decrease  the  pressure  on  water  resources.  However  increased 
biomass production in water-scarce areas could put additional pressure on an already stressed 
resource,  if  production  requires  further  irrigation.  In  Southern  Europe  (FR,  EL,  IT,  PT  and 
ES) increased biomass cropping could be responsible for extra water abstraction problems in 
regions where water is scarce.6  

Environmental impacts of large-scale biomass projects are taken into account in legal acts in 
several  Member  States  (AT,  DE,  LT,  FI).  In  one  Member  State  (FI)  the  bio-energy 
contribution to the total energy use is 20%. Several countries reported that some bio-energy 
crops  are  fully  or  almost  fully  rainfed  (DE,  FR,  UK)  or  that  water  demand  for  biomass  is 
already dealt with in some draft RBMPs (FR, ES, FI).  

A  recent  study7  has  assessed  the  water  requirements  of  thirteen  bioenergy  crops  across  the 
world  and  shows  that  the  water  consumption  (water  footprint)  varies  with  climate,  location 
and crop as well as with agricultural practice. The findings could help to select the best crops 
and locations to produce bioenergy.  

A study carried  out  for the Commission8  on  the  impact  of  bioenergy  development  on  water 
availability  shows  that  to  avoid  increased  pressure  on  European  water  resources,  European 
feedstock for bioenergy should be more concentrated in northern and central parts of Europe 
than  in  the  south.  The  strict  implementation  of  the  Water  Framework  Directive  in  southern 
Europe  will  have  consequences  for  the  capacity  of  these  countries  to  increase  national 
production of biomass with irrigated crops in particular as the current water abstraction has to 
be decreased to reach 'good status'. In order to reduce the pressure in these areas alternative 
water  supply  options,  such  as  wastewater  reuse,  could  also  be  considered  as  potential 
solutions for irrigation needs for bioenergy crops. Human health considerations, which often 
block the use of wastewater in the food production sector, are not as relevant for bioenergy 
production.  However,  the  study  states  that  in  general  efficient  production  techniques  and 
development of drought-resistant crops are more critical for increased biomass production in 
Europe than access to irrigation water. The study shows that with no strict limits on water use, 
bioenergy could account for 2.6% of agricultural water abstractions and 1.4% of total water 
abstractions  in  southern  Europe.  This  value  could  be  reduced  to  0.1%  of  total  water 
withdrawals if stricter water abstraction measures are applied.  

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Dworak,  T.  et  al.  (2009)  Assessment  of  inter-linkages  between  bioenergy  development  and  water 
availability. 
Gerbens-Leenes, W., Hoekstra, A.Y. & van der Meer, T.H. (2009). The water footprint of bioenergy. 
Dworak,  T.  et  al.  (2009)  Assessment  of  inter-linkages  between  bioenergy  development  and  water 
availability. 

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Adequate  prevention  of  negative  environmental  impacts  through  instruments  such  as  the 
Environmental  Impact  Assessment9  (EIA)  and  the  Strategic  Environmental  Assessment10 
(SEA) Directives must be fully implemented in order, inter alia, to preserve water resources, 
as  a  guarantee  for  sustainability.  With  the  objective  of  reinforcing  resilience  before  future 
water  scarcity  events, all  economic  sectors  are  to  be  considered  before  significant  decisions 
are  made.  Most  Member  States  reported  that  they  fully  implement  the  EIA  and  SEA 
Directives. 

2.2. 

Financing water efficiency 

The agreement reached in the framework of the CAP Health Check has resulted in increasing 
financial  transfers  from  the  first  pillar  to  rural  development  policy  through  compulsory 
modulation. Additional financial resources of €3.3 billion allows Member  States to reinforce 
their efforts under their rural development programmes to meet the new challenges faced by 
European  agriculture  including  the  need  for  better  water  management.  In  addition,  the 
European  Economic  Recovery  Package  makes  available  €1.020  billion  earmarked  for  the 
improvement  of  broadband  infrastructure  in  rural  areas  and  for  addressing  the  'new 
challenges'  as  identified  in  the  Health  Check.  With  regard  to  water,  an  indicative  list  of 
operations  has  been  identified  for  Member  States  to  propose  in  their  Rural  Development 
Programmes  (RDPs)  with  a  view  to  improving  water-use  efficiency  and  preserving  water 
quality.  The  study  undertaken  for  the  Commission  (March  2009)  on  the  place  of  the  WFD 
issues in rural development programmes emphasised that Member States have the flexibility 
to  select  the  most  appropriate  measures  to  address  the  specific  needs  of  their  territory  and 
decide  (up  to  a  certain  amount)  how  to  spend  their  budgets.  This  leads  to  important 
differences in Member States' Rural Development Programmes and especially in the priority 
they give to environmental and particularly water-related issues. The study concluded that the 
actions taken under the RDPs will not be sufficient in many cases to solve water problems, 
which is not in any case the aim of the Rural Development Regulation (RDR), and additional 
efforts  in  the  agricultural  sector  will  be  needed.  There  is  no  doubt  that  Rural  Development 
Programmes are an important tool that can have a significant impact on achieving the WFD 
objectives.  However,  particular  attention  is  needed  in  order  to  tackle  concerns  regarding 
possible negative impacts on water management due to new farm investments (Art 28 and Art 
30 RDR), in particular those aiming at increasing irrigation areas and new large-scale water 
storage.  The  funding  of  the  measures  fostering  better  water  management,  like  the 
improvement of existing supply systems, water-saving technologies and equipments, leakage 
reduction, reuse of waste water, soil protection, environmental and water resources protection 
and monitoring and research to improve knowledge are increasingly taken into account in EU 
and  national  budgets.  The  effects  of  recent  severe  events  (like  the  2005  drought  in  PT) 
mobilised private funds from agricultural and industrial sectors to lower water consumptions.  

Rural  Development  Programmes  (CZ(2008),  IT(2007-13),  ES)  include  subsidies  for  the 
modernisation  of  irrigation  systems  using  such  methods  as  sprinkling,  dripping,  micro-and 
sub-irrigation as major influences in water saving. In other Member States funds are mainly 
used  to  foster  the  improvement  of  water  infrastructures  (IT,  ES,  PT)  or  the  reduction  of 
irrigation at farm level (FR). 

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10 

Council Directive 85/337/EEC of 27 June 1985 on the assessment of the effects of certain public and 
private projects on the environment, OJ L 175 5.7.1985, p.40. 
Directive  2001/42/EC  of  the  European  Parliament  and  of  the  Council  of  27  June  2001  on  the 
assessment of the effects of certain plans and programmes on the environment, OJ L 197, 21.7.2001, 
p.30. 

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Also,  it  would  be  desirable  that  water  supply  utilities  receive  aid  only  if  networks'  yields 
reach certain thresholds (FR, from 2009, 75% in rural areas or 85% in urban areas) or if they 
improve security by means of connections between water utilities (FI). In some other Member 
States,  regional  aids  are  applied  in  order  to  replace  less  energy-  and  water-efficient  devices 
(ES) or there are 'rebate' schemes for water efficient household appliances (MT, UK).  

At  regional  level,  a  wide  range  of  measures  are  supported  (IT,  ES)  pursuing  more  water 
saving  and  reuse,  promoting  technologically  advanced  systems  for  monitoring,  managing 
information and supporting decision systems for the management of water bodies.  

In order to enhance users' interests in water efficiency, tax policies must also be developed. 
Only a few Member States reported having implemented such policies. Rainwater harvesting 
is already considered for tax credits or tax enhanced allowances in some Member States (FR, 
UK,  BE)  while  municipal  budgets  are  being  replaced  by  fiscal  initiatives  to  decrease 
operational costs of water utilities (FI). Fiscal measures should serve to better mobilise small 
scale private investments in water efficiency and more efforts must be focussed on this across 
Europe. 

The 2007-2013 Cohesion Policy provides for significant investments in infrastructure related 
to  water  management  (storage,  distribution  and  treatment),  clean  and  water-efficient 
technologies as well as risk prevention measures. In the 2007-2013 programming period € 22 
billion  will  be  directly  allocated  to  water  management  measures,  including  €  8  billion  for 
management and distribution of water.  

The Community Strategic Guidelines on Cohesion covering the period 2007-2013 will not be 
reviewed  but  supplemented  by  a  Communication.  The  Communication  will  stress  the 
potential and means for improved sustainable development, including in terms of ecosystem 
services  like  water  supply,  at  regional  level  with  the  current  Cohesion  Policy  programmes 
2007-2013.  

In  March  2009  the  Commission  published  the  working  document  'Regions  2020  –  Climate 
change  challenges  for  European  Regions'  concluding  that  sectoral  challenges  will  occur 
mainly  in  agriculture,  fisheries,  forestry,  and  the  energy  and  tourism  industries,  and 
significant  investment  will  be  required  to  face  drought,  heat  waves,  forest  fires,  coastal 
erosion  and  flooding.  In  particular,  urban  life  will  have  to  adapt  to  more  extreme  weather 
conditions,  which  is  likely  to  put  strain  on  existing  infrastructure  in  areas  such  as  water 
supply, drainage, health, energy and public transport. Exposure and sensitivity of regions to 
climate change already display significant differences, with regions affected in a different way 
depending, among other issues, on their location in the European climate zones. Regions also 
differ  in  adaptive  capacity  so  the  impact  on  regional  growth  potential,  environmental 
sustainability  as  well  as  equity  will  vary.  Regions  with  a  high  dependency  on  vulnerable 
sectors  will  have  to  face  social  costs  of  structural  change  or  adaptation.  The  Mediterranean 
regions  will  suffer  the  most  from  worsening  conditions.  In  this  framework,  following  the 
severe  drought  of  2008  the  Cohesion  Policy  funding  has  already  been  used  to  co-finance 
desalinisation plants (ES, EL) that were needed to ensure a stable drinking water supply for a 
metropolitan area or islands. 

Sustainable  and  efficient  use  of  water  resources  and  strategies  for  mitigation  of  climate 
change effects are included as priorities in a number of 2007-2013 Operational Programmes 
(CZ, IT, PT). The European Regional Development Fund is also supporting actions related to 
rain-water harvesting investment by farmers in certain member states (MT, CY). 

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3. 

Improving drought risk management 

3.1. 

Developing drought risk management plans 

Moving from 'crisis response' to 'risk management' in the context of water management is the 
way  to  improve  society's  resilience  to  water  scarcity  and  droughts.  It  is  clear  that  there  are 
significant variations in the way that Member States across the EU consider and tackle these 
issues  depending  on  their  recent  history  and  suffering  with  regard  to  water  stress.  Taking 
advantage  of  recent  experiences  in  tackling  drought  problems  can  ensure  the  widespread  of 
the development of  specific drought plans across  Europe as supplements to the River Basin 
Management  Plans.  Some  Member  States  have  already  identified  areas  or  entire  basins 
affected by drought, suffering permanent or semi permanent water scarcity, soil degradation 
and desertification processes was already reported by some Member States (see details in the 
main text of the report). Several Member States (BE, ES) have defined their specific indicator 
systems  and  progressive  measures  at  river  basin  level  under  their  already  ongoing  drought 
plans.  The  drought  management  plans  already  developed  (BE,  CY,  ES,  FR,  UK)  were 
reported  to  include  maps  of  water  stress,  the  identification  of  warning  or  alert  systems  and 
sector-specific measures, such as temporary restrictions on irrigating water-intensive crops. 

However, many Member States (AT, DE, FI, LT, PT) are considering droughts as a matter to 
be  addressed  in  the  context  of  the  ongoing  river  basin  management  plans,  or  as  specific 
chapters of RBMPs which are to be adopted (IT). 

In  order  to  restore  the  sustainability  of  the  water  cycle,  water  efficiency  improvement  and 
demand management practices were included in the Drought Management Plans (DMPs) of 
some southern European Member States (PT, ES, IT, FR). Consumption was rationalised by 
revising existing abstraction permits and limiting or refusing to grant new permits (IT, FR), or 
through restrictions on water uses (IT, PT, ES, CY). Other Member States reported that such 
initiatives  required  the  involvement  of  transboundary  actions  (BE,  FR).  During  severe 
droughts  water  markets  (e.g.  to  exchange  water  rights)  helped  to  temporarily  allocate  water 
resources more efficiently (ES, FR).  

The  measures  taken  during  drought  periods  were  often  accompanied  by  public  awareness 
campaigns (FR, ES, CY) to explain the link between water consumption and environmental 
protection  to  the  public  and  to  make  unpopular  decisions  such  as  restrictions  or  tariff 
increases more acceptable (FR). 

The Commission intends to foster exchanges of information and best practices on drought risk 
management  and  to  propose  methodologies  for  drought  thresholds  assessment  and  drought 
mapping  by  means  of  general  recommendations  that  started  with  the  'Drought  Management 
plan report'.  

3.2. 

Developing an observatory and an early warning system on droughts 

The  prototype  of  the  European  Drought  Observatory  (EDO)  for  drought  forecasting, 
detection,  and  monitoring  in  Europe  is  currently  engaged  in  pre-operational  production  of 
drought  indices  using  meteorological  information,  modelled  hydrological  parameters,  and 
remote  sensing  data.  Relevant  indices  (in  particular,  the  Standardised  Precipitation  Index  - 
SPI)  show  the  general  precipitation  status  for  predefined  periods.  Soil  moisture  estimations 
are produced, along with their anomalies and seven-day forecasts. 

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All these drought indicators are made available online for visualisation and search by means 
of  a  map  viewer.  The  tool  generates  maps  of  the  different  indicators  and  provides 
functionalities to browse the maps, search the  data,  produce graphs, and output the maps in 
various formats. 

Several  activities  are  currently  ongoing  in  Europe  to  monitor  and  manage  drought,  water 
scarcity and desertification risks (see main text of the report for details). The measures taken 
during drought periods were often accompanied by public awareness campaigns (FR, ES, CY) 
to explain the link between water consumption and environmental protection to the public and 
to make unpopular decisions such as restrictions or tariff increases more acceptable (FR). 

The  European  Environmental  Agency  (EEA)  has  kept  up  its  efforts  to  produce  better 
information  and  indicators  on  water  scarcity  and  drought  and  progress  has  been  made  in 
establishing a European Water Scarcity and Drought Information system (WSDIS).  

As  a  first  step  towards  the  development  of  a  coherent  water  scarcity,  drought  and 
desertification  information  system  for  Europe  the  EEA  continued  its  inventory  of  activities 
and  information  sources  and  a  gap  analysis  has  been  undertaken  at  national  and  European 
level  in  order  to  identify  the  different  links  and  overlaps  in  terms  of  objectives,  priorities, 
methodological approaches, risk assessment and management.  

The EEA also manages the regular water reporting, including reporting on water quantity as 
specified  in  the  new  reporting  sheet  (the  basis  of  which  is  the  updated  WISE-SoE  water 
quantity reporting sheet) accepted in February 2009. 

3.3. 

Further optimising the use of the EU Solidarity Fund and European Mechanism for 
Civil Protection 

Mobilising  the  EU  Solidarity  Fund  (EUSF)  for  drought  is  difficult  due  to  the  ten  week 
timelimit  for  presenting  applications  to  the  Commission  following  the  first  damage  caused. 
Prior  to  filing  an  application  for  EUSF  funds  for  drought  damages,  the  applicant  has  to 
present all preventive measures taken to minimise the damages to justify the request, because 
unconditional  post-disaster  assistance  could  discourage  countries  from  taking  cost-effective 
risk-reduction measures and putting ex ante financial instruments in place.  

The  European  Community  Civil  Protection  Mechanism  provides  a  framework  for  effective 
and rapid cooperation between Member States when mutual assistance is needed to respond to 
major emergencies (including droughts) that overwhelm the national response capacities.  

The  Commission  Communication  adopted  in  March  2008  on  reinforcing  the  EU's  Disaster 
Response  capacity11  advocated  reinforcing  the  Community  Civil  Protection  Mechanism  by 
taking  an  integrated  approach  encompassing  all  stages  and  all  types  of  disasters,  including 
extreme droughts. The Communication 'A Community approach on the prevention of natural 
and  man-made  disasters'12  adopted  in  February  2009  is  concerned  with  options  for  an  EU 
approach to preventing disasters, and taking an integrated multi-hazard approach. As well as 
addressing improvements to disaster prevention policies, it also includes improvements to the 
effectiveness of the existing financing and legislative instruments. The Council adopted on 30 
November  2009  Council  Conclusions  on  a  Community  framework  on  disaster  prevention 

11 
12 

COM(2008) 130 final, 5.3.2008 
COM(2009)82 final/2,4.3.2009. 

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within  the  EU.  The  conclusions  mandate  the  Commission  to  take  forward  a  wide  range  of 
activities including the development of guidelines on risk assessment and mapping for hazard-
specific disaster prevention, and the preparation of a sectoral overview of the majors risks the 
Community  may  face,  as  well  as  the  enhancement  of  Community  disaster  management 
training. 

4. 

Considering additional water supply infrastructures 

Several  Member  States  reported  that  they  had  to  develop  alternative  water  supply 
infrastructures in order to tackle the water scarcity and drought problems in the river basins. 
Measures  taken  include  the  improvement  or  extension  of  existing  desalination  plants  (ES, 
CY) and installation of mobile plants or transfers of potable water (CY).  

Considering  the  energy-intensive  nature  of  some  options,  these  need  to  be  weighed-up 
carefully.  There  remain  in  particular  environmental  and  economic  concerns  about  the  high 
energy use of the desalination process. As regards the environment, if the energy required to 
increase  water  supply  is  produced  by  burning  fossil  fuels,  these  options  will  contribute  to 
global warming. For this reason mitigation measures are needed to either improve efficiency 
or incorporate the use of renewable energy sources. 

In order to reduce the pressure in water-scarce river basins alternative water supply options, 
such  as  wastewater  reuse,  could  also  be  considered.  Reuse  of  treated  wastewater  received  a 
strong boost (IT, ES) during periods of water stresses and scarcity. Although the properties of 
treated  wastewater  do  not  always  make  it  fit  for  drinking  water  supply,  its  capability  to 
replace  other  sources  led  it  to  be  allocated  to  agriculture  irrigation,  urban  and  industrial 
applications  and  environmental  enhancement,  for  example  to  ensure  minimum  ecological 
flows (ES). 

There is no European directive or guideline specifying the standards for treated wastewater in 
irrigation that would help to promote the reuse of treated wastewater. In this respect, in 2007 a 
Working  Group  of  experts  from  EU  and  Mediterranean  countries,  stakeholders  and  non-
governmental  organisations  issued  a  report  entitled  'Mediterranean  Wastewater  Reuse 
Report'13  presenting  non-mandatory  recommendations.  In  the  context  of  growing  water 
scarcity  there  is  a  need  to  make  wastewater  reuse  more  acceptable  and  widespread.  To  that 
end further investigations as well as coordination and information exchange between the EU 
Member  States  is  clearly  needed  specifically  concerning  the  introduction  of  standards 
applicable across the EU for treated waste water for irrigation (e.g. of energy crops).. 

Any  proposal  for  new  water  infrastructures,  not  only  storage  or  water  transfer,  but  also 
resources  as  yet  considered  un-conventional  must  undergo  an  environmental,  health,  social 
and economic impact assessment. Almost all reporting Member States confirmed that before 
new alternative water supply infrastructures are established they undergo the full process of 
environmental impact assessment. 

5. 

Fostering water efficient technologies and practices 

In  July  2009  an  assessment  was  finalised  for  the  Commission  of  how  improvements  to  the 
efficiency of water-using devices and the water performance of buildings could contribute to 
overall water savings, together with details of the measures that could be applied at EU level 

13 

http://ec.europa.eu/environment/water/water-urbanwaste/info/water_reuse.htm 

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and how they could be implemented. The quantitative analysis shows that the introduction of 
mandatory requirements through extension of the Ecodesign Directive14 to cover water-using 
devices  could  induce  significant  savings  if  all  water-using  products  are  included  -  a  19.6% 
reduction  in  EU  total  public  supply.  This  would  correspond  to  a  3.2%  reduction  in  annual 
total  EU  abstraction.  However,  if  only  energy-related  products  are  included  (without 
considering dishwashers and washing machines), the reduction is much lower, at around 6%.  

Furthermore,  reducing  the  water  consumption  of  energy-related  products  such  as  taps, 
showers  and  baths  (as  adopted  in  the  extended  Eco-design  Directive),  can  also  result  in  an 
indirect reduction of energy consumption: a potential reduction of 20% of the heating needsof 
these products. This would lead to a reduction in energy use of 18.4TWh/year. This represents 
savings amounting to 0.50% of total EU primary energy supply. Reducing energy use would 
in turn result in yearly CO2 savings of approximately 2.89 MtCO2eq if standard energy-related 
water-using devices are replaced (excluding dishwashers and washing machines). 

With  regard  to  buildings  it  was  concluded  that  small  behavioural  changes  could  provide 
significant  savings.  Small  changes  in  showering  time,  bathing  frequency  or  use  of  taps  can 
result in savings of 20 to 30%. However, consideration of users’ behaviour with new water-
efficient products is needed to ensure that potential consumption reductions of some efficient 
fixtures are not neutralised by changes in the way they are used. The study concludes that the 
best  result  in  terms  of  water  savings  would  be  achieved  by  buildings  and  products  if  a 
combination  of  several  instruments  is  used.  Several  initiatives  to  develop  standards  and 
legislation  for  water-using  devices  have  been  taken  up  in  different  Member  States.  For 
example, general criteria for tap and toilet water-saving devices are being developed (CY) and 
a revision of the standards for spigots to reduce the outflow are being revised (FR).  

A  few  Member  States  reported  that  they  are  at  an  advanced  stage  in  the  development  of 
regulations or recommendations on water performance criteria of buildings (FR, ES, CZ, FI). 
Others  have  established  a  technical  code  for  buildings  referring  to  sustainable  water  use, 
water-saving measures and water flow control, as well as energy efficiency measures (ES), or 
have introduced new standards regarding rainwater harvesting and use (MT, FR). 

Only one Member State reported that it is planning to update the water supply and sewerage 
system  (CZ).  Other  Member  States  are  continuing  to  carry  out  a  programme  to  improve 
and/or  replace  old  domestic  water  supply  networks  in  rural  areas  (CY,  ES).  Some  Member 
States are  undertaking continuous leakage-reduction  programmes (MT, CZ, BE). Others are 
trying  to  reduce  leakage  by  voluntary  measures  (FI).  Some  Member  States  offer  financial 
support for communities if they invest in modernising the drinking water supply system and 
an  online  information  system  on  the  efficiency  of  each  community  participating  in  the 
modernisation (FR). 

The chemicals and the petroleum refining industry are responsible for approximately half of 
all  water  use  by  manufacturing  industry,  while  the  basic  metals,  paper  and  food  processing 
industries account for most of the remainder. The water use of manufacturing industry can be 
reduced by recycling and reusing water, changing production processes, using more efficient 
technology, reducing leakage and  developing on-site treatment. (The highest annual amount 
of water abstracted for manufacturing industry is in DE and FR).  

14 

Directive 2005/32/EC, OJ L 191, 22.7.2005, p.29. 

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To  reach  voluntary  agreements  with  the  economic  sectors  that  need  water  would  be  a 
significant  step  ahead  in  ensuring  efficient  water  use  in  all  Member  States.  Some  Member 
States continued to develop agreements with specific economic sectors, such as horse riding 
courses, the car washing industry (FR), the cattle industry (PT), manufacturers of water using-
appliances (FI). 

In  May  2009,  the  Commission  adopted  a  Communication  on  agricultural  product  quality 
policy15, laying down strategic orientations to improve EU policy on agricultural certification 
and  labelling  schemes.  The  Commission  intends  to  draw  up  guidelines  to  encourage  the 
inclusion of sustainability criteria in product specifications for geographical indications, and 
to maintain the credibility of environmental and other aims in certification schemes generally. 
In the case of the organic farming standard, farmers are already required to 'make responsible 
use of … natural resources, such as water'16. 

6. 

Fostering the emergence of a water-saving culture in Europe 

The extended Framework Directive on ecodesign17 covering not just energy-using items, but 
also energy-related products (ERPs) includes energy-using products, plus other products that 
do  not  consume  energy,  but  which  impact  on energy  consumption.  Among  these  are  water-
using devices such as water-efficient shower heads or taps that do not consume energy but can 
contribute to saving energy required for heating.  

In parallel, work on implementing the current Ecodesign Directive is in progress with the aim 
of  adopting  within  a  short  period  of  time  implementing  measures  for  given  priority  product 
groups, including washing machines and dishwashers.  

Bearing in mind that civil society plays a crucial role when it comes to the development of a 
water-saving and efficiency culture in Europe, Member States actively continued to organise 
information campaigns at national, regional or local level. The Aquawareness - the European 
Water Awareness and Water Stewardship Programme launched in June 2008 by the European 
Water  Partnership  (EWP),  involves  stakeholders  from  various  sectors  in  developing  joint 
solutions  for  more  sustainable  water  management.  Regional  workshops  exploring  the  local 
and national priorities and challenges which Europe’s water is facing were organised. As well 
as awareness campaigns, policy recommendations are being suggested to policy makers, and 
the  water  stewardship  programme  was  launched  with  the  representation  of  the  four  sectors 
considered as being the most significant water users (agriculture, industry, tourism and urban 
areas). 

Member States actively continued to organise information campaigns at national, regional or 
local  level  such  as  Water  Week,  free-of-change  distribution  of  water-saving  devices  or 
television and radio advertisements focused on water saving (CY, MT, BE, FI, ES, PT, PL). 
Websites and public information systems (CZ, PT, AT), the publication of reports on the state 
of the water (CZ), inclusion of water management issues and good practices in irrigation in 
educational programmes (FR, PT), development of actions at schools to promote water-saving 
devices  (FR,  BE,  PT)  and  the  development  of  national  strategies  to  educate  consumers  on 
efficient  water  uses  (BE,  ES)  are  only  some  examples  of  the  activities  carried  out.  These 

15 
16 
17 

COM(2009) 234 final, 28.5.2009 
Article 3 of Council Regulation (EC) No 834/2007, OJ L 189, 20.7.2007, p. 1. 
2009/125/EC 

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measures  need  to  be  continued  throughout  Europe,  and  in  order  to  gain  feedback  on  their 
efficiency they should also be evaluated.  

The  companies  which  are  members  of  Corporate  Social  Responsibility  (CSR)  Europe, 
explored the possibility of launching a new initiative on water scarcity in the  framework of 
the European Alliance on CSR, but decided not to start such an initiative as they considered 
that there might be a risk of duplication with other activities. 

7. 

Improve knowledge and data collection 

7.1.  Water scarcity and drought information system throughout Europe 

Consolidated  datasheets  are  needed  to  provide  the  most  useful  drought  monitoring  and 
forecasting  systems,  including  drought  indicators  that  can  be  used  for  feeding  models  and 
processes. This would help better identify spatial and temporal patterns and trends, and large-
scale drivers, predictflow characteristics at ungauged streams and provide drought monitoring 
and forecasting. 

Waterbase (managed by the EEA) is a series of covering databases on the status and quality of 
Europe's water and the quantity of Europe’s water resources. It contains timely, reliable and 
policy-relevant  data,  collected  through  the  WISE-SoE  data  collection  process  (formerly 
known  as  Eionet-Water).  Its  added  value  is  that  data  collected  through  WISE-SoE  are 
comparable at European level18.  

GMES19  (Global  Monitoring  for  environment  and  Security)  is  an  Earth  observation 
programme led by the European Union, building on full decade of research activities. GMES 
is a system delivering information on the Earth's environment, based on a space infrastructure 
and  'in  situ'  observation  infrastructure  and  elaborated  through  a  service  component.  Several 
GMES  services  would  be  useful  for  the  monitoring  of  droughts,  in  particular  the  Land 
Monitoring  service,  Emergency  Response  service  and  climate  Change  service.  A  series  of 
pre-operational services are being financed under the Space Theme of the Seventh Framework 
Programme  for  Research  (FP7),  such  as  the  project  SAFER20  which  provides  the  pre-
operational emergency service of GMES, not only during the response phase but also during 
the early warning and reconstruction phases. The project GEOLAND221, is preparing GMES 
Land services in order to deliver on an operational and sustainable basis information on land 
cover  and  land  cover  changes,  as  well  as  terrestrial  Essential  Climate  Variables  (ECVs) 
including vegetation parameters and water parameters on a systematic basis. In July 2009, the 
European Commission called for new proposals for extending services to new areas, such as 
water  management,  biodiversity  monitoring,  forest  monitoring  and  agri-environment 
observation.  Consequently,  water  policies,  land  use  and  irrigation  practices  are  strongly 
supported  by  GMES  services.  A  regulation  for  the  GMES  programme  proposed  by  the 
European  Commission  is  now  under  legislative  procedure  and  is  expected  to  be  adopted  by 
the end of 2010, including financing of GMES Initial Operations for the period 2011-13.  

18 
19 
20 

21 

http://dataservice.eea.europa.eu/ 
Global Monitoring for the Environment and Security. http://www.gmes.info/. 
SAFER started on 1st January 2009 and will last for 36 months, with an estimated total cost of € 39.3 
million. 
GEOLAND2 started in September 2008 and will last 36 months with an estimated total cost of €32.5 
million 

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Finally,  reliable  data  on  drought  is  being  collected  in  the  framework  of  INTERREG 
programmes  through  a  number  of  projects  co-financed  by  the  European  Regional 
Development  Fund  (ERDF)  for  several  programming  periods.  Some  Member  States  are 
following  this  kind  of  drought  monitoring  (ES,  IT).  The  'Guidelines  to  drought  phenomena 
evaluation'  have  been  elaborated  by  the  JRC  for  an  integrated  system  for  monitoring  and 
forecasting  drought  events  and  planning  mitigation  measures.  The  JRC  analyses  updated 
climatic conditions in different Italian regions, the rest of Europe, the Western Balkans, and 
the Mediterranean Basin. 

7.2. 

Research and technological development opportunities  

Besides  research  on  management  options  addressed  by  AQUASTRESS,  specific  research 
needs  on  droughts  are  being  discussed  in  the  XEROCHORE  Support  Action  which  is 
currently establishing the state of the art of drought-related national and regional policies and 
plans and will lay down a roadmap that will identify research gaps and steps to be taken in 
order to fill them. In particular, support for European Drought Policy will be provided through 
expert  recommendations  on  impact  assessment,  policy-making,  drought  in  the  context  of 
integrated  water  resources  management  and  guidance  on  appropriate  responses  for 
stakeholders. The large consortium (over 80 organisations) is closely linked to the European 
Drought  Centre  and  the  Water  Framework  Directive  Common  Implementation  Strategy 
Working  Group  on  Water  Scarcity  and  Droughts,  which  has  led  to  the  development  of  an 
internationally  recognised  exchange  platform  on  drought  issues  between  the  research  and 
policy  communities.  This  is  strengthened  by  links  established  with  relevant  research  (RTD) 
projects  that  include  drought  components,  e.g.  WATCH,  CIRCE,  as  well  as  the  recently 
launched  MIRAGE  project  on  Intermittent  River  Management.  It  is  expected  that  the 
exchange platform, now established and developed within the XEROCHORE project, will be 
further  strengthened  by  the  Commission  through  the  clustering  of  projects  dealing  with 
climate change and water security (including drought aspects) from 2010 onward. 

Like  the  ROST  project,  which  worked  on  the  improvement  of  plant  drought,  salt  and  cold 
stress tolerance, CEDROME aims to develop drought-resistant cereals to support the efficient 
use of water supplies in the Mediterranean area.  

The  European  Territorial  Cooperation  programmes  (previously  INTERREG  programmes) 
within  the  Cohesion  Policy  are  also  largely  contributing  to  research  and  technological 
development  opportunities.  For  example,  in  the  previous  programming  period,  ERDF  co-
financed  PRODIM  (Proactive  Management  of  Water  Systems  to  face  Drought  and  Water 
Scarcity in Islands and Coastal Areas of the Mediterranean) a joint project between CY, EL, 
IT  and  MT  in  the  framework  of  INTERREG  IIIB  ARCHIMED  programme.  This  project 
aimed  at  developing  a  methodological  framework  on  water  shortage  based  on  proactive 
planning. Case studies from EL, IT, CY and MT served for the preparation of both strategic 
water  shortage  preparedness  and  emergency  plans.  Other  examples  under  the  European 
Territorial  Cooperation  can  be  found  in  the  framework  of  the  transnational  cooperation 
programme  "Alpine  Space  2007-2013"  -  Water  Management  Strategies  against  Water 
Scarcity  in  the  Alps  or  INTERREG  IV  B  North  West  Europe:  AMICE  (Adaptation  to  the 
expected  spatial  impacts  of  climate  change),  and  also  under  the  interregional  cooperation 
programme INTERREG IV-C: REGIOCLIMA (which aims at enhancing cooperation among 
selected EU regions towards avoiding risk and reaping the benefits from a changing climate). 
Many other projects co-financed under the ERDF, are being developed in the framework of 
2007-2013  European  Territorial  Cooperation  programmes.  The  list  of  projects  directly  or 
indirectly  linked  to  drought-related  research  under  the  6th  and  7th  Research  Framework 

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Programmes mentioned above is not exhaustive22. Research on drought will also be addressed 
in  the  current  call  for  proposals  (published  in  July  2009)  under  the  heading  'Early  warning 
systems to predict climate change related drought risks in Europe and Africa'. The ERA-Net 
IWRM-Net23 second joint call for research proposals24 also tries to enable partners to work on 
synergies  between  research  needs  and  policy,  and  promotes  interdisciplinary  activities 
concerning  IWRM  across  Europe  to  meet  the  various  challenges  linked  to  climate  change, 
droughts and water scarcity.  

Several  drought-related  research  programmes  are  being  carried  out  at  national  level,  mainly 
focused on issues such as climate change, its impacts, proposed adaptation measures, its effect 
on  expected  water  availability  (CZ,  ES,  FR,  PL)  or  on  biological  flows  versus  resource 
availability and new opportunities for the food-processing industry (FR). 

Taking  into  account  that  groundwater  resources  play  a  major  role  during  drought  events, 
Member  States  are  further  researching  aquifer  modelling  (BE)  artificial  recharge  (FR)  and 
groundwater monitoring networks (AT).  

Considering that the biggest fresh water consumer in the EU is agriculture, adequate research 
efforts should be devoted at both national and international level to improve the sector's water 
efficiency,  with  special  attention  to  irrigated  farming  in  the  most  drought-sensitive  regions. 
The  EU's  7th  Framework  Programme  for  Research  and  Technological  Development  is 
offering research opportunities to address water scarcity and water-use efficiency at European 
level.  

22 

23 

24 

A  compilation  of  RTD  projects  from  the  6th  and  7th  Framework  Programmes  directly  or  indirectly 
linked  to  drought-related  research  is  available  at:  http://ec.europa.eu/research/environment/pdf/cop-
15.pdf. 
IWRM-Net (towards a European-wide exchange Network for integrating research efforts on Integrated 
Water Resources Management) is a network composed of national and regional research programmes 
managers and funders. 
http://www.iwrm-net.eu/spip.php?rubrique43. 

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