Dealing with water scarcity and drought: EU policies and

regulations

MartaMorenAbat,DGEnvECThierryDavy,Sr.WaterReources

Specialist,WB

December12,2016

WaterScarcity&DroughtsintheEuropeanUnion

•  Overthepastfortyyears,droughtshavedramaJcallyincreasedinnumberandintensityintheEU.

•  Thenumberofareasandpeopleaffectedbydroughtswentupbyalmost20%between1976and2006.

•  Oneofthemostwidespreaddroughtsoccurredin2003whenover100millionpeopleandathirdoftheEUterritorywereaffected.

•  In2003,thecostofthedamagetotheEuropeaneconomywasatleast€8.7billion.

•  Thetotalcostofdroughtsoverthepastthirtyyearsamountsto€100billion.Theyearlyaveragecostquadrupledoverthesameperiod.

MapofdroughteventsinEurope(2002-2009)

Definingdroughtandwaterscarcity

•  While"drought"meansatemporarydecreaseinwateravailabilitydueforinstancetorainfalldeficiency,"waterscarcity"meansthatwaterdemandexceedsthewaterresourcesexploitableundersustainablecondiJons.

•  Atleast11%oftheEuropeanpopulaJonand17%ofitsterritoryhavebeenaffectedbywaterscarcitytodate.RecenttrendsshowasignificantextensionofwaterscarcityacrossEurope.

Droughtandwaterscarcity:notonlyasouthernissueinEurope!

•  OfcoursethisphenomenaissensibleinallMediterraneancountriesbutitalsoaffectscentralandnorthernEuropeancountriessuchasUK,Hungary,Finland,theNetherlands,

•  TodaydroughteventsarepotenJallyimpacJngabout200millionsofpeopleintheEU.

•  Thewaterscarcityissuehastobeexaminedundertheworldwidecontextofclimatechange,andtheinvolvementoftheCommissionwillbecrucialinthefuturewhenimplemenJngexisJngEUpolicies(WFD,groundwaterdirecJve,…)

The2007EUcommunicaJon•  Itemphasisthat:accesstogoodqualitywaterinsufficientquanJtyisfundamentaltothedailylivesofeveryhumanbeingandtomosteconomicacJviJes.Butwaterscarcityanddroughtshavenowemergedasamajorchallenge

•  ItrequiresintersectoralcollaboraJon:waterscarcityanddroughtsarethereforenotjustamaderforwatermanagers.TheyhaveadirectimpactonciJzensandeconomicsectorswhichuseanddependonwater,suchasagriculture,tourism,industry,energyandtransport

The2007EUcommunicaJon•  ThecommunicaJonpresentsaniniJalsetofpolicyopJons:–  ProgressingtowardsfullimplementaJonoftheWaterFrameworkDirecJve(RBMP/PoM)

–  TacklingtheissueofineffecJvewaterpricingpolicies– Havingaconsistentland-useplanning/waterallocaJon–  PromoJngwatersavingsandwaterhierarchy–  integraJngofwater-relatedconcernsintowater-relatedsectoralpolicies(CAP,energy)

–  Finallydevelopingknowledge,datamonitoringtoproposeadequatepolicies

WaterscarcityanddroughtintheEU

Waterscarcityanddroughts con1nuetoaffect:•  14%totalpopulaJonof

EuropeunderwaterstresscondiJonsduringsummer

•  20riverbasindistrictsfacestructuralwaterstressissues,mainlyintheMediterranean

•  AgricultureintheMediterraneanregionaloneaccountsforalmost75%oftotalwaterusedforagricultureinEurope

2012BlueprinttosafeguardEurope'swaterresourcesCommunicaJon

•  TheWaterBlueprint'sJmehorizoniscloselyrelatedtotheEU's2020Strategyand,inparJcular,tothe2011ResourceEfficiencyRoadmap,ofwhichtheBlueprintisthewatermilestone.

•  However,theanalysisunderpinningtheBlueprintcoversalongerJmespan,upto2050,andisexpectedtodriveEUwaterpolicyoverthelongterm.

BlueprintobjecJves:wherewewanttobe

•  Goal– EnsuresustainabilityofallacJviJesthatimpactonwater,therebysecuringtheavailabilityofgood-qualitywaterforsustainableandequitablewateruse

•  ObjecJves(somethingbeder,moreandnew)– BederimplementaJon– MoreintegraJon– Fewnewlegalproposalstocompletecurrentframework

DeliveryofPolicyOpJons

•  SuccessofBlueprintdependsonwillingnessandacJonbyMStoinvolvestakeholdersandimproveimplementaJonofexisJnglegislaJon

•  CommonImplementaJonStrategytofacilitateearlyimplementaJonofBlueprintproposals

•  Enforcementthroughinfringementswherenecessary

•  PossiblenewlegislaJveiniJaJves

TheBlueprintpackage•  BlueprintCommunicaJonCOM(2012)673+ImpactAssessment

SWD(2012)381&382

•  ReportonRiverBasinManagementPlansCOM(2012)670

•  CommissionStaffWorkingDocument,EuropeanOverviewonRiverBasinManagementPlans,Volumes1and2SWD(2012)379

•  CommissionStaffWorkingDocument,RiverBasinManagementPlans,Volumes3to30(AllMemberStates+Norway)SWD(2012)379

•  CommunicaJonontheReviewoftheEuropeanWaterScarcityandDroughtPolicyCOM(2012)672+accompanyingCommissionStaffWorkingDocumentSWD(2012)380

•  FitnessCheck

BlueprintObjecJves

Waterreuseinthe2012Blueprint

OpportunityforanEUac1on

•  ECCommunicaJon:"ABlueprinttosafeguardEurope'swaterresources"(November2012):

•  interesJngopJontoaddresswaterscarcity

•  untappedpotenJalinmanysituaJons•  lackofconsideraJoninwater

management,lackofharmonizedstandards

WaterreuseinCircularEconomy•  ECCommunicaJon:"Closingtheloop–AnEUacJonplanforthe

CircularEconomy"(December2015):

•  Chapter4.Fromwastetoresources:boosJngthemarketforsecondaryrawmaterialsandwaterreuse

•  Listoffollow-upiniJaJves(Annex):•  Reuseinintegratedwaterplanningandmanagement◊CISGuidance•  MinimumqualityrequirementsforwaterreuseforirrigaJon&GW

recharge◊legislaJveproposal•  WaterreuseinindustrialacJviJes◊BREFs•  SupporttoresearchandinnovaJon•  EUfundsforinvestmentsinwaterreuse

CircularEconomy:WaterReuseinKeyacJonareas

•  Reuseinintegratedwaterplanningandmanagement

•  Minimumqualityrequirementsforwaterreuse

•  WaterreuseinindustrialacJviJes•  SupporttoresearchandinnovaJon•  EUfundsforinvestmentsinwater

reuse

MinimumqualityrequirementsforwaterreuseinirrigaJonandaquiferrecharge:•  AddressingthelackofacoherentandcomprehensivelegislaJve

frameworkwithintheEU.•  Focuson2usesofmostrelevanceatEUlevel:agricultureand

ongroundwaterrecharge.•  Timeline:•  IncepJonImpactAssessmentpublished◊April2016•  TechnicalproposalbyJRCandconsultedwiththeindependent

ScienJficCommideeonHealthandEnvironmentalRisks(SCHER)◊end2016

•  ConsultaJonofMSandorganizaJonsviatheCIS◊2016-2017•  ProposalforanEUlegislaJon◊mid2017

Casestudy:Spain•  ImplementaJonofDrought'sSpecialPlansandWaterReuse

Strategy.

•  In May 2016:The Government will declare in the territorialareasof theHydrographicDemarcaJonsof the Júcar and theSegura, the drought situaJon through the Royal Decrees355/2015,of8ofMayand356/2015,of8ofMay,respecJvely.

•  The RegulaJon would allow to:Progress in meeJngenvironmentalobjecJves,and inparJculartoassessthestateof water bodies, idenJfy the pressures that lead to theirdeterioraJon, and implement the necessary correcJvemeasures

Casestudy:Spain

•  Short,mediumandlongtermmeasures.•  UptoSeptember30,2017arethecommissioningandexecuJonofsurveysfortheprovisionofaddiJonalresources,theuseofrolledvolumesinrainfallepisodes,theuseofunallocatedseawaterdesalinaJonresourcesanddroughtsandTheuseofstateinfrastructuresthatmakeitpossibletodistributeresources.

ManagementofdroughtsinSpain•  Toplananimplementmeasures

inadvanceisthekeymiJgaJonmeasuretoreducethesocio-economicandenvironmentalimpactsofdroughts.

•  Mainplanningtools:•  Droughtbasinplansaspartof

theRBMPs•  Indicators•  Emergencyplansforurban

areas

Increasingtheavailablewaterresources

•  TheRBMPSshouldcontainsupplementarymeasures

•  "ConstrucJonorimprovementofnewreservoirs,construcJon,improvementofsupplynetworks,execuJonofnewpumpingstaJons,desalinaJon,regeneraJonofirrigaJon,improvementofguaranteeagainstdrought,newcatchmentsandimprovementofexisJngonesandoperaJonandmaintenanceofinfrastructuresofsupply".

DroughtmanagementinFrance

•  Droughteventsbecomemoreandmorefrequent

•  Threeimportanteventssince2000•  About85%ofthe60millionFrenchinhabitantsimpactedbyrestricJonin2005

•  75departmentswheremeasuresofrestricJonweretakenduringthesummer2005

•  In2003,77departmentswereimpacted

WaterusesrestricJonin2005

Costsfortheagriculturalsector

Costs(300millions)andproducJonlossesfortheenergysector

French yearly hydroelectricity production (thousands of GWh)

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AdapJngtodrought/prevenJngwaterscarcity

•  Thefirsteventofseveredroughthappenedin1976

•  Since1987theinvestmentstopreventwaterscarcityrepresentabout5billioneurosinFrance,about30%werefinancedbywateragencies

•  Themeasuresdealwith:interconnecJon,transfer,metering,watersaving,useofBAT,watercharges,storage,waterreuse,….

ExisJngtoolsandmeasuresinFrance•  TheMasterplansof1992includeearlywarningsystemswiththresholds(informaJon,alert,crisis),includedinRBMPs

•  Quotasarefixedforsomeaquifers•  RestricJonmeasurescanbetakenatlocallevel•  Monitoringandmeteringaredevelopedforbothsuperficialandgroundwaters

•  AgreementareexisJngwith«owners»ofdamstoprovidewaterforreceipJngmiddlesduringthedryseason

•  PrevenJvemeasuresarefinancedbywateragenciesandchargesarecollected

ThanksalotforyouradenJon

Marta.MOREN-ABAT@ec.europa.eutdavy@worldbank.org

•  Thanks a lot for your attention