{"id":8242,"date":"2019-05-15T00:50:35","date_gmt":"2019-05-14T22:50:35","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.ern.org\/?p=8242"},"modified":"2019-05-15T01:06:47","modified_gmt":"2019-05-14T23:06:47","slug":"lavenir-des-rivieres-de-lue-un-nouveau-document-presente-la-liste-des-souhaits-devastateurs-des-lobbies-industriels","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ern.org\/fr\/lavenir-des-rivieres-de-lue-un-nouveau-document-presente-la-liste-des-souhaits-devastateurs-des-lobbies-industriels\/","title":{"rendered":"L\u2019avenir des rivi\u00e8res de l\u2019UE: un nouveau document pr\u00e9sente la liste des souhaits d\u00e9vastateurs des lobbies industriels"},"content":{"rendered":"

Les industries non durables, dont l’agriculture industrielle, l’hydro\u00e9lectricit\u00e9 et les industries mini\u00e8res, font pression pour des modifications d\u00e9vastatrices de la directive-cadre sur l’eau (DCE).<\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

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Le nouveau document des ONG (WEAKENING THE EU WATER LAW: INDUSTRY\u2019S WISH LIST<\/strong><\/a>) montre que si les souhaits sont exhauss\u00e9s, certaines modifications donneraient le feu vert pour d\u00e9velopper des activit\u00e9s encore plus destructrices, ce qui pourrait<\/span> causer<\/span> des ravages \u00e0 n<\/span>os<\/span> cours d’eau<\/span> et lacs<\/span>. <\/span><\/span><\/span>Cependant, loin d\u2019obliger ces acteurs \u00e0 modifier leurs pratiques, certains \u00c9tats Membres ont dress\u00e9 une liste de souhaits tout \u00e0 fait similaire, soulevant de s\u00e9rieuses questions quant \u00e0 la d\u00e9finition de leurs v\u00e9ritables int\u00e9r\u00eats.<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
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\"\"<\/a>Ce papier, publi\u00e9 avant la r\u00e9union informelle du Conseil \u00ab\u00a0Environnement\u00a0\u00bb \u00e0 Bucarest, en Roumanie, les 20 et 21 mai, et repris dans une lettre <\/a>adress\u00e9e aux ministres de l’Environnement des \u00c9tats membres de l’UE, lance la deuxi\u00e8me \u00e9tape de la campagne men\u00e9e par Living Rivers Europe<\/a> pour garantir l’int\u00e9grit\u00e9 de la DCE et fait suite \u00e0 la campagne #Protectwater au cours de laquelle plus de 375 000 citoyens ont exprim\u00e9 leur<\/span> souhaite que la DCE reste inchang\u00e9e.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

T\u00e9l\u00e9charger le rapport (anglais)<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Lire la lettre<\/a> adress\u00e9e aux Ministres de l’Environnement de l’UE<\/p>\n

Acc\u00e9der \u00e0 la page de la campagne<\/a><\/p>\n

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Read Press release from Living Rivers Europe (anglais)
\n<\/strong>Brussels, 15 May 2019<\/p>\n

\"\"
\nUnsustainable industries, including industrial agriculture, hydropower, and coal mining, are lobbying for devastating changes to the EU water law – the Water Framework Directive (WFD).<\/p>\n

A new paper from environmental groups [1] shows that, if ever put into effect, such changes would give these sectors the green light to undertake even more destructive activities, potentially causing havoc on our rivers and lakes. But, far from obliging these sectors to clean up their act, some Member States have compiled a strikingly similar wish list, raising serious questions as to where their true interests lie.<\/p>\n

The paper, developed by WWF, EEB, Wetlands International, the European Anglers Alliance and European Rivers Network – who together form the Living Rivers Europe coalition – is published ahead of an informal meeting of the Environment Council in Bucharest, Romania on 20 and 21 May. Environment Ministers from all EU Member States will come together to discuss, amongst other topics, issues related to water management across the EU. The gathering comes in the wake of scientists declaring a state of ecological emergency<\/a>, with extensive research confirming that nearly 75% of freshwater resources are now devoted to agriculture alone, and freshwater ecosystems are showing the highest rate of decline.<\/p>\n

\u201cRivers, lakes and wetlands are our life-support systems, but they are being annihilated under our very eyes. We have the legal tool to stop this – the EU water law – but Member States must actively stand up to the sectors that pollute and destroy the most\u201d, said Andreas Baum\u00fcller, Head of Natural Resources at\u00a0 WWF\u2019s European Policy Office. <\/strong>\u201cThrough the civil society-led #ProtectWater campaign, more than 375,000 citizens called for the water law to remain unchanged. Member States\u2019 alignment with the positions of business lobbies begs the question: Do they really have the best interests of their citizens at heart?\u201d<\/p>\n

The briefing shows the clear alignment between the wishes of some Member States and those of lobby groups representing the interests of the agriculture, hydropower and mining sectors, as well as German industry associations (comprised of representatives of the construction, chemicals, and pharmaceuticals industries, amongst others). These parties want to weaken the WFD\u2019s ambitious scope and environmental objectives, and attack two of the law\u2019s most visionary cornerstones – the \u201cone-out, all-out principle\u201d, as well as the \u201cnon-deterioration obligation\u201d, both crucial in assessing the health of freshwater bodies.<\/p>\n

Where they differ is in their reasoning, which is completely contradictory – whilst Member States argue that these changes are needed to maintain ambition in EU water management, industry groups ask for changes because <\/em>the current system is too <\/em>ambitious.<\/p>\n

\u00ab\u00a0Industry groups and some EU member states are calling for the same changes to the EU water law – but, bizarrely enough, how they justify the need for these changes is poles apart: Whilst some governments say they are trying to be more ambitious to protect water, the industry groups say they want these changes because the current rules are too stringent. So, if Member States want to be truly ambitious, the current law needs to be kept and the focus needs to be on properly implementing it to protect the environment and human health,\u00a0\u00bb said Sergiy Moroz, Water and Biodiversity Policy Officer at the EEB<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

These arguments and questions have also been reflected in a letter<\/a> sent by Living Rivers Europe to the Environment Ministers of EU Member States ahead of next week\u2019s meeting in Bucharest.<\/p>\n

ENDS<\/p>\n

T\u00e9l\u00e9charger le pdf<\/a><\/p>\n

Contact:<\/strong>
\nSophie Bauer, Communications Officer (Freshwater)
\nWWF European Policy Office
\nsbauer@wwf.eu
\n+32 471 05 25 1<\/p>\n

[1] Living Rivers Europe, 2019, Weakening the EU water law: Industry\u2019s wish list<\/em><\/p>\n

[2] According to the \u201cone-out, all-out principle\u201d, a water body (such as a\u00a0 river, lake or wetland) is only considered healthy if all the quality elements (for example the flow, whether it is biodiversity-rich, whether there are chemical substances) are in good status, and the overall status is defined by the quality element in the lowest class.<\/p>\n

[3] Within the Water Framework Directive, Member States must ensure that the current state of of any given water body does not deteriorate any further.<\/p>\n

[4] Officials from several Member States have drafted a paper on the Future of the EU Water Policy<\/em> for the meeting of EU Water Directors in November 2018. The paper put forward several amendments to the WFD.<\/p>\n

Notes to the editor: <\/u><\/p>\n

About the EU Water Framework Directive (WFD)<\/strong><\/p>\n