Creation of a hydrotechnical Euro-Mediterranean institute of the Council of Europe (water technology and management)

Recommendation 1471 (2000)

Author(s):

Parliamentary Assembly

Origin

Assembly debate on 25 September 2000 (25th Sitting) (see Doc. 8746, report of the Committee on Science and Technology, rapporteur : Mr Fernández Aguilar). Text adopted by the Assembly on 25 September 2000 (25thSitting).

Thesaurus

1. The Assembly refers to its programme of action on the management of fresh water resources in Europe and the resulting recommendation and order (Recommendation 1224 (1993) and Order No. 492 (1993)).

2. It also refers to its many debates on co-operation in the Mediterranean region, and in particular to the work of the Conference of Mediterranean Regions (currently known as the Conference of Mediterranean and Black Sea Regions), which defines the water problem as the most crucial factor for future development and peace in the region.

3. Co-operation between the European Union and the Mediterranean countries began at a high level meeting in Lisbon in 1992, where a general framework for political, economic and cultural co-operation was established. Three years later, the Euro-Mediterranean Conference, held in Barcelona in November 1995, recognised that “water provision, adequate management and development of water resources are priority matters for all Mediterranean countries and it is important to develop co-operation in these areas”.

4. The Assembly welcomes the work of the many organisations and institutions in the Mediterranean region that are contributing to the study and management of water problems. It is particularly satisfied with the contributions made within the framework of the International Centre for Advanced Mediterranean Agronomic Studies (Icamas) (created on the initiative of the Council of Europe and OECD), Unesco, the Mediterranean Blue Plan, the World Water Council, the International Association for Hydraulic Research, and the many institutes and agencies working in this field (the Mediterranean Water Institute, the Rhone Mediterranean Water Agency, the Water Rights Institute, and so on). It also notes with interest the activities of the European Science Foundation which are related to water issues.

5. Nevertheless, there are enormous challenges to face, which will involve:

5.1 renewing generalised efforts to address needs with regard to water resources and crisis situations (that is, tensions between supply and demand) in different regions of the Mediterranean, paying special attention to their effects on the environment, which are increased by the process of desertification;

5.2 increasing collaboration between the industrialised countries, countries in transition and developing countries. This is especially important in the case of the countries which possess the lowest water resources in the Euro-Mediterranean area. Particular attention must be given to problems such as:

a adapting to local, social and economic conditions and introducing techniques for a more efficient use of water in different sectors;

b increasing recycling and the re-use of polluted water while maintaining high environmental standards;

c improving the evaluation of the impact on the environment of the different uses of water using special indicators and suggesting ways of applying them;

d increasing initiatives in education, information and awareness-raising, specifically designed for each country or region of the Euro-Mediterranean area, in order to create a culture of efficient water use;

e establishing communication and exchanging experience;

5.3 limiting the current deterioration of water and taking additional preventive measures for the protection and improvement of the situation as an effective way of maintaining current resources in good condition;

5.4 putting proposed solutions into practice involving users (from the bottom up approach);

5.5 improving the property criteria for territorial waters, namely by transferring water resources as one of the possible solutions to its scarcity;

5.6 protecting the Mediterranean Sea, which ultimately receives all the contamination of continental origin transported via rivers and coastal aquifers;

5.7 applying more strict control when drawing up international norms on the use and misuse of potable water for human, agricultural, touristic and industrial purposes.

6. The Assembly is of the opinion that the advancement of science in different fields and the development of new technologies will be important factors for addressing problems regarding the improved management of water and its greater availability. This knowledge will be of benefit to those regions, both in Europe and worldwide, that are poor in water as well as to those that are rich in water. For water-poor regions one of the solutions is the desalination of seawater, which could be further developed by using new technologies and solar energy.

7. It welcomes the generous offer of the autonomous region of Murcia, supported by the Spanish Government, a gesture which is also welcomed by other Mediterranean regions and states, to provide the facilities and make the necessary resources available for the creation of a new instrument of co-operation for the development of water technology and for improvements in water management in the Mediterranean region.

8. In the light of the above, the Assembly recommends that the Committee of Ministers:

8.1 assist in the creation of a Euro-Mediterranean water technology and management institute by supporting this co-operation project through the establishment of an open partial agreement to this end, in accordance with the Committee of Ministers’ statutory Resolution (93) 28 and invite the European Union to become a full member of this agreement;

8.2 make contact with the Spanish Government and the authorities of the autonomous region of Murcia with a view to establishing the headquarters of the hydrotechnical Euro-Mediterranean institute of the Council of Europe (water technology and management) in Murcia;

8.3 encourage active consultation among member states, and other states bordering the Mediterranean sea, the European Union, the European Science Foundation, Unesco, Icamas and all other organisations and institutions with an interest in this particular field, in order to ensure that the new Euro-Mediterranean water technology and management initiative will have the broadest possible support and co-operation base.