The Minister of Setting revealed as we speak that water will probably be a precedence for the following European Fee, following a letter she addressed to the manager about the necessity to prioritize it.
“All the pieces means that this space of water will certainly be a major precedence [in the next European Commission]. For us, it’s crucially necessary as a result of we want many investments,” stated Maria da Graça Carvalho, in statements to journalists in Brussels, after a number of technical conferences on the topic.
The Minister of Setting and Power added that she had affirmation that “water will play an necessary function in one of many portfolios of one of many commissioners” of the following government.
Requested about the place this precedence may go within the subsequent European Fee, whether or not it should have a devoted commissioner or stay aggregated to the Setting portfolio, Maria da Graça Carvalho stated she knew nothing concerning the composition of Ursula von der Leyen’s subsequent government and that any remark can be hypothesis.
“We don’t want extra laws,” the minister admitted, including that what is critical is to make sure funding in order that water is prioritized and the initiatives thought-about on this regard are carried out.
In accordance with a letter addressed by Portugal and 20 different nations in July, the Minister of Setting and Power requested that water be a precedence in the course of the subsequent time period and “that this dedication be materialized via complete EU-wide actions, together with satisfactory and efficient funding, promotion of innovation, evidence-based decision-making processes, and the strengthening of worldwide cooperation.”
The Portuguese minister, the primary signatory of the letter, warned of the “rising frequency and depth of droughts, floods, and water shortage all through Europe.”
“In accordance with the European Setting Company, round 20% of the territory and 30% of the European inhabitants endure from water stress yearly. The related financial price is estimated at 9 billion euros yearly and will attain 65 billion euros by the top of the century, not even counting environmental damages,” she acknowledged.
Within the letter, the minister highlighted the rising frequency and depth of droughts, floods, and water shortage all through Europe, emphasizing that “the losses are primarily felt in agriculture and meals programs, within the power sector, and public provide.”
Relating to floods, “a examine revealed by the European Fee in 2021 estimated the overall prices of flood threat mitigation for the interval 2016-2021 at a minimum of 14 billion euros,” she added.
The doc additionally states the necessity for larger coordination on the European stage, masking water in all its dimensions: freshwater and seawater sources, ecosystem safety, human consumption, agriculture and meals programs, power, and industries.
Maria da Graça Carvalho additionally highlights the significance of analysis and innovation within the water sector to “discover new options to deal with water shortage, in addition to to enhance present ones.”
“This doc underlines the significance of scientific analysis and the necessity for elevated funding in these areas via conventional monetary devices but additionally via modern varieties that may mobilize non-public funding,” stated the minister, quoted within the communiqué launched by the ministry.
This letter can also be signed by Germany, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Croatia, Denmark, Slovakia, Slovenia, Estonia, Spain, France, Greece, Italy, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Poland, and Romania.
