During the plenary session (11-14 February 2019) of the European Parliament in Strasbourg, MEPs debate on minimum requirements for water reuse. Statements by Simona BONAFÈ (S&D, IT), Rapporteur, Karmenu VELLA, Member of the EC in charge of Environment, Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, Marijana PETIR (EPP, HR), Francesc GAMBÚS (EPP, ES) and Maria Lidia SENRA RODRÍGUEZ (GUE/NGL, ES). Illustrative footage of water treatment site, water leaving the treatment site, general shots.

Strasbourg

debate

plenary session

SENRA RODRÍGUEZ, Maria Lidia (GUE/NGL, ES)

VELLA, Karmenu (MT, EC)

circular economy (T)

PETIR, Marijana (EPP, HR)

BONAFÈ, Simona (S&D, IT)

GAMBUS MILLET, Francisco de Paula (EPP, ES)

fight against climate change (T)

water policy (T)

Minimum requirements for water reuse: extracts from the debate and illustrative footage

SOUNDBITE (Italian), Simona BONAF&#200; (S&amp;D, IT), Rapporteur , Water scarcity is no longer just a problem for the South. Now instead it is a concern for the entire EU territory and it is up to us now to find adequate solutions to this at EU level so that we can ensure a EU citizen welfare is kept at a certain level and we can protect our environment. We have to extend the principles of the circular economy that we have been focusing on in Europe and we have to apply this to water resources. Firstly we have to look at water savings and reuse with specific legislation capable of creating the legislative stability we need to improve investments in this very important sector.

SOUNDBITE (Italian), Simona BONAF&#200; (S&amp;D, IT), We believed that it was important that there was more precision relating to the operators involved in the reclamation of waste water. For that reason in addition to the treatment plant manager and the reclamation plant manager and end user we believe that we also need to include the distribution system operator in the list and the operator responsible for accumulating the reclaimed water. We agree with the parameters outlaid by the Commission based on the JSC study but we believe that a salmonella parameter needs to be added in order to ensure better food safety for European citizens.

SOUNDBITE (English), Karmenu VELLA, Member of the EC in charge of Environment, Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, Water stress is becoming a concern for many member states even for those that are not usually associated with water scarcity even member states that are not even associated with drought. These problems are likely to worsen mainly due to climate change. Together with water savings and water efficiency measures water reuse can play an important part in addressing such problems.

SOUNDBITE (English), Karmenu VELLA, Member of the EC in charge of Environment, Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, The objective is to facilitate the uptake of water use for agricultural irrigation wherever this is relevant wherever this is safe and wherever this is cost effective

SOUNDBITE (Croatian), Marijana PETIR (EPP, HR), The scope of the originally proposed water reuse has been expanded and it can now be used in other areas than agriculture. And as a reporter for the opinion of the Committee on Agriculture I would like to remind you that farmers are already obliged to adhere to strict rules laid down in the general food law regulation. So this regulation should ensure that farmers have access to reclaimed water from wastewater treatment systems but it should not result in any additional costs.

SOUNDBITE (Spanish), Francesc GAMB&#218;S (EPP, ES), Extending the use of reused water should go further, for example to industry and I'd like to highlight co-financing through a program for reuse in chemical industry in Tarragona. As the Commissioner rightly said we should take into account that in by 2030 half of the EU population will be suffering from water scarcity.

SOUNDBITE (Spanish), Maria Lidia SENRA RODR&#205;GUEZ (GUE/NGL, ES), Reclaiming water is going to be in the hands of private operators as the Commissioner said it's a new business opportunity so they will be looking at their business interest and not our health such a sensitive activity needs to be in public hands just like the whole of the rest of the water cycle and secondly it's acknowledged that not all reclaimed water will be able to be used to water crops. So my question is the water that's not going to be used for specific crops but for other uses. How is it going to be guarantee that that won't pollute the water table?

Illustration part: water treatment site, water leaving the treatment site, general shots (12 shots) 