European Union

The EU and US will ratchet up their contacts in the coming weeks in order to improve cooperation on trade and head off risks of an escalation in the ongoing dispute.

Written by Didier Bourguignon (1st edition),

© allexxandarx / Fotolia

Although freshwater is relatively abundant in the European Union (EU), water stress occurs in many areas, particularly in the Mediterranean region and parts of the Atlantic region, with environmental and economic impacts.

In May 2018, the European Commission put forward a proposal for a regulation setting EU-wide standards that reclaimed water would need to meet in order to be used for agricultural irrigation, with the aim of encouraging greater use of reclaimed water and contributing to alleviating water scarcity. The Commission estimates that the proposal could increase water reuse in agricultural irrigation from 1.7 billion m³ to 6.6 billion m³ per year, thereby reducing water stress by 5 %.

In the European Parliament, the Committee on Environment, Public Health and Food Safety (ENVI) is considering the proposal. The Environment Council discussed the proposal on 25 June 2018.

Versions

• September 2019: Water reuse: Setting minimum requirements (1st edition)

Proposal for a regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council on minimum requirements for water reuse Committee responsible:

Rapporteur:

Shadow rapporteurs:

 

  Environment, Public Health and Food Safety (ENVI)

Simona Bonafè (S&D, Italy)

Francesc Gambús (EPP, Spain)

Jan Huitema (ALDE, the Netherlands)

Lynn Boylan (GUE/NGL, Ireland)

  COM(2018) 337 from 28.5.2018

2018/0169(COD)

 

Ordinary legislative procedure (COD) (Parliament and Council on equal footing – formerly ‘co-decision’) Next steps expected: Publication of draft report

Water use by sector in the EU (2014, hm3)

 

Plenary session and Committee meetings, Strasbourg

Source : © European Union, 2018 - EP

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