The House of Lords EU Agriculture, Fisheries and Environment Committee has today invited contributions to its new inquiry into EU Freshwater Policy.
The European Commission plans to publish a “Blueprint to Safeguard Europe’s Water” towards the end of 2012, which will have a dual purpose:
- to evaluate the EU’s current freshwater policies and identify any gaps
- to identify any measures and tools that could help ensure a sustainable, good quality water supply in the long-term.
The Committee sees this as a critical time to examine the EU’s role in the sustainable management of freshwater. It has launched its inquiry in order to provide a substantive input to the discussions in 2012 which will lead up to the Blueprint.
The Committee now plans to examine a range of questions including the following:
- How relevant and useful the current policy framework is?
- What challenges should be addressed by EU freshwater policy to ensure the sustainable use of good quality water in the longer term?
- How can other EU policy areas – most notably the Common Agricultural Policy – be adapted to help manage Europe’s sustainable freshwater supplies?
- What aspects of EU policy are best managed by Member States or regionally, rather than at an EU level?
- What should the EU do to promote innovative responses to the demands of water management?
Launching the inquiry, Committee Chairman, Lord Carter of Coles, said
“Fresh water is a finite resource that is vital to our survival. In the last 18 months, the Committee has reported on adapting EU agriculture to climate change, and on innovation in EU agriculture. Both these reports have shone a light on the strains on our freshwater supply in Europe, and the demands that this finite source will be facing in the future.
“If we are to ensure the sustainable use of good quality water, we must look for new ways of protecting, preserving and improving our water supplies.
“We hope that the report we publish at the end of this inquiry will contribute to a very important debate that must be had about the future of freshwater policy in Europe. We would encourage anyone who has an interest to contribute to this vitally important debate.”
Evidence to the inquiry should be submitted by 5 September, preferably by email, to Paul Bristow at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . The Committee expects to hold public meetings for the inquiry from October and to publish its final report by Easter 2012.
Albion Water, the first NAV (New Appointment & Variation) to have been established in1999 and now under the ownership of SDS Water Group, has appointed Andy Holland as its new Director of Business Development.
UK water companies are invited to join an upcoming webinar which will explore how the sector can take indirect potable reuse (IPR) from concept to full-scale operational reality.
James Sumsion, CEO of predictive water intelligence specialists Kohtari, says the water sector needs to take a giant leap forward, so that it can anticipate and act upon water quality issues - rather than merely react.
Ray Moulds, Sales Director at Flood Control International, takes a look at how automated sliding floodgates are supporting secondary containment at water and sewerage company sites.
Hear how Scottish Water has completed its £235 million Ayrshire Glasgow Resilience Project - customers across Greater Glasgow, Ayrshire and East Renfrewshire will now benefit from a more secure and resilient water supply.
Hear how United Utilities is accelerating its investment to reduce spills from storm overflows across the Northwest.
Find out more about the remarkable career opportunities on offer at WSP - scroll down to watch the inspirational video.