22 March 1994

Doc. 7050

COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMITTEE OF MINISTERS

Reply to Recommendation 1232 (1994)

on management of water resources

in relation to agriculture

(adopted by the Committee of Ministers on 15 March 1994

at the 509th meeting of the Ministers' Deputies)

      The Committee of Ministers has decided to bring Parliamentary Assembly Recommendation 1232 (1994) to the attention of the governments of the member States and the Commission of the European Communities.

1.       Concerning paragraphs 6.i and ii, the Committee of Ministers emphasises that the Intergovernmental Programme of Activities no longer contains work specifically linked to water issues. Nevertheless, water conservation is a major issue in the study on European soils to be published in the course of this year. In the Intergovernmental Programme of Activities for 1994, Project VII.2 "Protection of the landscape" will also deal with the conservation of natural resources - including water - in rural areas.

2.       With regard to paragraph 6.iii and to the context of management of water resources in relation to agriculture, the Committee of Ministers reaffirms the value of the fundamental principles set out in the European Water Charter, adopted in May 1967. These principles still hold good and deserve to be applied more rigorously in order to maintain high water quality.

3.       Having regard to paragraph 6.iv, the Committee of Ministers points to the European Conservation Strategy (Recommendation No. R ENV (90) 1) setting out general principles, with sectoral aspects, which governments are invited to follow when implementing their national environment policy.

      This strategy also covers the issue of inland waters, lakes and rivers. The recommendation calls on governments to "develop integrated water-use policies and programmes which recognise the role of the water resource in natural ecosystems and aim to rationalise other vital uses for domestic, industrial, agricultural and recreational purposes in order to reduce water consumption". It also invites them to "reduce eutrophication by the treatment of domestic and industrial sewage and the modification of agricultural practices".

      Other chapters of the Strategy on biotopes, soils, agriculture and forestry implicitly deal with the problem of water resources. All the measures set out in the Strategy already correspond to a large extent to the actions advocated in paragraph 6.iv of the recommendation.