Question to the EC: Water management in Portugal and Spain - Directive 2000/60/EC

See Francisco Guerreiro’s question to the European Commission and the written answer on the water management in Portugal and Spain.

Subject: Water management in Portugal and Spain - Directive 2000/60/EC 

Portugal is afflicted by severe droughts each year, affecting the Tagus river basin in particular, its water levels being the lowest for 40 years. Its tributaries, the Ponsul at Beira Baixa and Sever in Alto Alentejo, are depleted and almost dry. This can be partly attributed to water management in Spain, which is facing similar problems and is drawing off (or diverting) excessive quantities of water from the Tagus. Serious suspicions have recently arisen that Spain may been failing to comply with the Albufeira Convention, which regulates this management of water resources between the two countries. In view of this:

1. Can the Commission say whether Portugal and Spain are in fact complying with the provisions of Directive 2000/60/EC regarding management of the Tagus river basin?

2. Does it intend to table amendments to Directive 2000/60/EC and/or a proposal for a specific directive on the problem of water shortages and droughts, taking into account the resolution tabled by the European Parliament on this subject in 2008?

This matter needs to be addressed without delay to ensure that local ecosystems are protected and that farming activities can be continued in both countries.

Answer in writing 

The Commission is aware of the difficult situation created in the Tagus river basin by severe droughts in 2019. 

The Commission does not have any indication that Spain or Portugal may not have respected the Water Framework Directive (WFD)(1) in this context. 

However, it should be noted that in its assessment of the 2nd River Basin Management Plans(2), the Commission issued recommendations to Member States for improving implementation of the WFD. These recommendations included, for Portugal and Spain, to continue improving the international cooperation for the management of transboundary river basins. Specific recommendations on drought management were also made to Spain, including an update of the existing drought management plans and an improvement of quantitative management of water. 

The recent Fitness Check of the water legislation(3) concluded that the WFD is still largely fit for purpose and in particular, that it is flexible enough to accommodate emerging challenges such as climate change, water scarcity and pollutants of emerging concern. The Fitness Check identified, however, a problem with the level of implementation in the Member States, which will need to be addressed. 

The follow-up to the Fitness Check will be decided in the framework of the recently adopted European Green Deal, including with regard to promoting a more efficient use of water or possible other actions on water scarcity and droughts.

(1) Directive 2000/60/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 23 October 2000, establishing a framework for Community action in the field of water policy, OJ L327/1.

(2) The Commission’s 5th Implementation Report of the WFD and related documents are available in:

https://ec.europa.eu/environment/water/water-framework/impl_reports.htm

(3) https://ec.europa.eu/environment/water/fitness_check_of_the_eu_water_legislation/index_en.htm

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