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Brussels – The European Commission wants to make the EU’s lakes and rivers cleaner and better prevent flood risks. Water scarcity and drought are also increasingly a cause for concern in many parts of the EU, according to the Brussels authority in its package on the water situation in the EU presented on Tuesday in Brussels. Among other things, Austria is urged to accelerate the rehabilitation of water bodies and improve flood management.
The responsible EU Commissioner Jessika Roswall presented the reports on the implementation of the Water Framework Directive, the Floods Directive and the Marine Strategy Framework Directive at a press conference in Brussels. According to it, only around 40 percent of the EU’s water bodies are in good ecological condition and only 26.8 percent in good chemical condition. This is mainly due to the widespread contamination by mercury and other toxic pollutants. The Commission therefore calls on EU countries to better comply with EU water laws and promote the reuse of water.
Given the more frequent and severe floods in Europe, the Commission appeals to the member states to expand their planning and management capacities and invest adequately in flood prevention. Although it sees “significant improvements in flood risk management,” the national plans presented by the EU states mostly lack concrete quantitative targets.
Austria’s flood plan needs to be more concrete
Austria is also urged in the country report to formulate the goals of the national plan more concretely, link them to quantitative indicators if possible and limit them in time. The progress in achieving the goals should be evaluated. The flow velocity of the relevant water flow as well as flood discharge routes should be better taken into account, as these are relevant for emergency measures, warns Brussels.
Austria should also increase and accelerate its measures to restore a good ecological and chemical state of all rivers and lakes, according to the corresponding report. “Diffuse pollutant loads from agriculture” in the waters should be better evaluated and directly reduced with measures in the management plans. Domestic regulations for the removal of barriers that are no longer needed to enable free water flow in rivers and streams must also be implemented.
“Our waters face major challenges, from pollution and threats to water supply to inadequate flood protection. We must step up our efforts to strengthen water resilience. A clean and reliable water supply is crucial for citizens, for our environment and for the success of businesses,” explained Environment Commissioner Roswall. She aims to present a comprehensive water resilience strategy in 2025. (06.02.2025)