Conflict over agricultural uses of large reservoirs intensifies as EU considers water strategy

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Tensions in France Read more by Euractiv

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced that Sustainable Water Management Strategies” At the time, 21 EU ministers called for water issues to be at the top of the European agenda, just as demonstrations against the construction of a large irrigation reservoir were about to break out in France.

““We must do more to ensure that our farmers are better prepared for climate change,” von der Leyen declared in a speech ahead of the European Parliament vote on Thursday (18 July).

“TThat is why I am proposing an agricultural plan to combat climate change while also proposing a strategy to sustainably manage our precious water resources.”

The call for an EU water security strategy follows a letter from environment ministers from 21 EU countries (except Finland, Sweden, the Czech Republic, Latvia, Hungary and Ireland) seen by Euractiv and sent on Wednesday to European Commission Vice President Maroš Šefčović and Climate Commissioner Wopke Hoekstra.

The ministers called for measures to “ensure the availability and security of water supplies” through “nature-based solutions” and for “adequate and effective funding” for research and innovation in the water sector.

according to Report Europe leads the way in innovative water technology, accounting for 40 percent of inventions in the field worldwide, according to a report released Thursday by the European Patent Office (EPO). Germany, France, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands and Italy “rank first in European patenting of water inventions,” an EPO press release noted.

The ministers stressed that “it is imperative to ensure that water remains an absolute priority on the European agenda in the coming years and that the EU’s water management objectives are achieved”.

Ministers also stressed “citizen and stakeholder involvement” and “public participation in all actions”.

Tensions in France

In southwestern France, large demonstrations will be held in the Deux-Sèvres department on July 19-20 against the construction of large reservoirs, the so-called “mega-reservoirs”. These irrigation reservoirs can cover 18 hectares of land, store water in winter and use it for irrigation in summer.

Between 6,000 and 8,000 people are expected to gather to protest against the construction of the reservoir, and authorities expect clashes with police, as in previous demonstrations.

Opponents accuse the system of damaging the environment because the pond will be used to store rainwater in winter but can also be used to pump deep groundwater when water is scarce. More than 450 farmers, mainly wheat growers, will have access to it.

“Access to water is a huge problem, but we are against privatizing water with public money,” Emma Fourreau, a climate activist and current MEP (LFI, Left Party), who will travel to support the organizers on Saturday, told Euractiv.

The French government has announced that it will build 100 new reservoirs in France by the end of this year to ensure water supply. The new agricultural policy law currently being discussed in the French parliament will protect this infrastructure in the name of the “general interest” of French agriculture.

In 2021, French Green Party MPs submitted a petition to the European Parliament’s PETI committee, arguing that the basins violate European law, in particular the Water Framework Directive (WFD).

Europe The committee said The EU will take this complex case “very seriously” and urged France to spell out the impact of the financial and environmental costs of the projects, while warning against “over-extraction” of water from the aquifer.