Sustainable water management and climate emergency: circular and other solutions for the EU agri-food system in a future "Blue Deal"

Key points

The EESC:

• Highlights that water is a fundamental resource for food production and therefore ensuring access to sufficient quality water and its sustainable management is essential to guarantee adequate and sustainable food production in the European Union. All CAP schemes should encourage sustainable and efficient water management, incorporating indicators in each Member State in order to monitor progress in water management.

• Stresses that sustainable water management must focus on supply management, taking measures to ensure the availability of water for all users. Supply management must necessarily involve optimising efficiency, reducing losses, prioritising uses, eliminating illegal uses, adopting measures to ensure the sustainability of the whole system and, finally, adopting a set of approaches in line with strategies to consolidate sufficient food production in the EU.

• Urges for dedicated standards concerning water use in various economic sectors, for instance agriculture and industry, by building a governance structure to develop sectorial water use guidelines, which should include the EESC.

• Calls for the decarbonisation of agriculture, the adjustment of agricultural prices in the primary sector, and the intensive use of renewable energy sources to reinforce the energy-water-food nexus.

• Acknowledges that climate change implies higher temperatures, increased evapotranspiration, and a considerable increase in extreme weather events, causing droughts, floods, storms and fires. These problems are highly destructive to the production of crops and livestock. A strategic plan is needed that utilises scientific and technological expertise to ensure safe water is available for agriculture throughout the EU. Specific plans must be prepared for local areas and regions that suffer persistent drought and flooding. A special stand-alone budget and support lines will be necessary, as will an EU Regulation directing resources towards enabling and facilitating central, regional and local plans to supply adequate water. Such plans must ensure the construction and maintenance of fit-for-purpose water infrastructure in all parts of the EU.