Water
EU looks at water strategy as conflict grows over agricultural use of large reservoirs
Est. 4minThe re-elected president of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen announced "a strategy for sustainable management of water" at a time when 21 EU ministers called for water to be a top priority on the European agenda and France was set to see demonstrations against large water reservoirs for irrigation.
Leak: Hungarian Presidency’s plans for energy, transport, environment
Est. 2minOn 1 July, Hungary will take over the Presidency of the Council of the EU from the Belgians. Euractiv has seen and reviewed Hungary's indicative plan for energy, transport and the environment during its six months as Council President.
Is Europe’s hydropower potential tapped out?
Est. 7minHuge dam projects built in Sweden, Austria and France decades ago might not be feasible today, but pumped storage hydropower at sites with existing infrastructure could have major potential to reduce the EU’s emissions.
Eucalyptus: Portugal’s sustainability dilemma
Est. 4minPortuguese eucalyptus forests are helping to replace plastics, but as the country's climate warms up, this highly flammable tree is a growing threat to people and biodiversity.
Europe strengthens rules on urban wastewater treatment
Est. 4minIn a final vote, the European Parliament has just adopted a new law updating the rules on the collection, treatment and discharge of urban wastewater. Europe's local authorities fear an explosion for the costs of its implementation.
Droughts prove EU’s water resilience urgently needs holistic strategy
Est. 5minWith several EU member states facing the impacts of drought conditions and the bloc’s water ecosystems under pressure, experts have voiced the need for a “holistic approach” to increase Europe’s water resilience.
French National Assembly, impatient with EU, pushes for ‘forever chemical’ ban
Est. 4minOn Thursday (4 April), the French opposition party Les Écologistes pushed a proposal to reduce the use of the so-called "forever chemicals" through the National Assembly, but the government favours a European solution to this environmental and health problem.
Europe must do more to adapt to climate change, says EU environment agency
Est. 4minEurope needs to take immediate action to address the rapidly increasing climate challenges, the EU's environment agency said in its first European Climate Risk Assessment (EUCRA), published on Monday (11 March), which identified 36 major risks.
Industrial site near Brussels shows microplastic pollution in action
Est. 5minAs the European Parliament works on a revision of the regulation on microplastics, EU lawmakers and NGOs travelled outside Brussels to see for themselves the scale and impact of plastic pellet pollution on site.
Barcelona bets on water desalination in response to ‘drought of the century’
Est. 7minThe Catalonia region has decided to invest almost €500 million from EU funds to make its capital city more resilient to droughts, with two new desalination plants expected to come online by the end of the decade. But for the more than 500 Catalan towns that aren’t connected to the water grid, there is little prospect of improvement.
European Commission backtracks on Water Resilience Initiative
Est. 3minThe withdrawal of the Water Resilience Initiative from the European Commission's agenda has raised fears among environmental NGOs that Europe's climate ambitions will be set back.
EU threatens Portugal with sanctions over conservation failings
Est. 2minThe EU Commission started legal proceedings against Portugal at the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) on Wednesday in two individual cases for its alleged failure to comply with a ruling on the conservation of sites considered Special Areas of Conservation and threatened sanctions.
Portugal says EU needs plan to promote water availability to fight scarcity
Est. 2minResponding to the threat of water scarcity must include creating a plan to promote water availability in the European Union, namely through management technologies that reduce waste, said Portuguese Agriculture Minister Maria do Céu Antunes on Monday.
Europe’s rivers at risk due to hydropower plants, human interference
Est. 5minWhile only around a third of the world’s rivers “remain free flowing,” according to campaign group International Rivers, the situation is worse in Europe, where the number of ‘wild’ or free-flowing rivers can likely be counted on both hands.
Europe’s oldest renewables industry wants more attention from Brussels
Est. 6minThe EU's biggest hydropower players have gathered to form an alliance and are asking for aid from Brussels as the industry suffers from slow growth due to green concerns and a challenging investment environment.
The chronicle of a water crisis foretold and the Blue Deal
Est. 5minExisting tools to address water challenges remain fragmented across EU policies, despite the water stress that is intensifying across Europe because of climate change. Establishing water as a standalone strategic priority on a par with the EU Green Deal has now become a must, writes Pietro Francesco De Lotto.
Spanish government blocks controversial irrigation law in drought-stricken Doñana
Est. 2minThe Spanish government has succeeded in blocking a regional law that would legalise further irrigation around the already-water-scarce Doñana National Park, instead aiming to support sustainable practices financially.
Lawmakers call for ‘European Blue Deal’ to tackle water challenges
Est. 3minA cross-party group of lawmakers in the European Parliament have issued a joint call for the establishment of an ambitious "European Blue Deal" to protect water resources from climate stress and promote ocean energies.
Albania’s Skavica hydropower project to be examined by Constitutional Court
Est. 4minAlbania's controversial but yet-to-be-built Skavica mega-dam, which threatens some 41 villages in the north of the country, will be reviewed by the country's highest court following a constitutional complaint by a coalition of energy and environmental NGOs.
Polish court discontinues proceedings in Turów mine case
Est. 4minThe Voivodship Administrative Court in Warsaw has suspended proceedings against the decision to extend the concession for the Turów mine until 2044, meaning that the mine, which has been the subject of a long-running dispute between Poland and the Czech Republic, can continue to operate unhindered for more than 20 years.
Serbia struggles with access to clean drinking water
Est. 3minSerbia does not have enough water, so around one million citizens are struggling to get consistent access to safe drinking water, according to activists who spoke to EURACTIV.rs.
Over two-thirds of French groundwater below monthly averages
Est. 3minDroughts are emptying groundwater reserves, which are seriously under the usual monthly average, a trend that continues to lead to wildfires and shortages of freshwater for consumption, the French authority monitoring water resources has found. Winter and summer rainfalls in France …
Brussels closes German nitrate pollution case after decade-long tussle
Est. 4minGermany is now in compliance with EU nitrate pollution rules and equipped to further tackle high pollution levels in groundwater, the European Commission announced on Thursday (1 June), ending a decade-long back-and-forth with Brussels and the threat of hefty fines.
The Brief — Green ‘planification’ is no longer a dirty word
Est. 5minThe climate crisis is real, and simply hoping that EU citizens will voluntarily change their ways enough to create the necessary change is idealistic at best. European politicians are coming around to the idea of a more rigorously planned approach, so-called state 'planification'.