‘WFD in the Mediterranean’ Conference outcome Barcelona, April 22-24 Conference organized by the EEB, Ecologistas en Acción and Xarxa per una Nova Cultura de l’Aigua.

Conference background 2010 is a year of delivery: halting the loss of biodiversity and publishing the RBMPs to deliver good status by 2015. Mediterranean richest in biodiversity but also facing serious challenges in water management including WSD which climate change is expected to worsen. Yet Mediterranean countries are the most behind in delivering their plans. Aim of the conference was to facilitate a dialogue between water authorities, experts and NGO’s about the best way the WFD can help tackle some of the regions most pressing problems and reduce vulnerabilities.

Why the WFD matters also in the Mediterranean Ecological objectives to ensure ecosystems continue to function and deliver/store water. Taking a basin approach, considering all pressures, all hydrological and climatic conditions and the needs of related ecosystems. Increase transparency, improve public participation and remove perverse subsidies. Measures to control abstraction from both surface and groundwater, including illegal abstractions. Compulsory water pricing to achieve efficiency and meet WFD objectives. Water quality and quantity nexus.

Four priority issues: Transparency and public participation Good status of Ground Water Bodies Water tariff systems and demand management Implementation of environmental flows and good morphological status.

Transparancy Improve inclusiveness of water governance structures Translate the WFD into a language non specialists can understand without loosing clarity on the substance Provide relevant, up to date information Invest in public participation, bring in professionals in public participation and process management. Take proposals submitted seriously and link decisions taken back to the participation process.

Groundwater Development of necessary tools to improve monitoring and use of wells (GIS systems with info on quality and quantity of wells, legal status, land use patterns, groundwater dependent ecosystems). When recharging aquifers with recycled water, this has to be done in a context of ‘integrated water management’ Improved coordination between authorities. At an EU level development of supporting policies through CAP reform and the adoption of a meaningful soil directive.

Demand management Water prices to be increased with higher consumption rates, applying the polluter and user pays principle. Need for an open political debate about who pays how much. Identify alternative rural development options not reliant on irrigated farming. Developing a ‘new water culture’ which is essentially about bringing demand back in line with natural availabilities and taking a precautionary approach when planning water allocations.

Environmental flows Need to raise awareness about the importance of environmental flows (ecological status, ecosystem health and services) Develop a study on best practices in identifying and implementing environmental flows. As the Spanish context illustrates; implementation of environmental flows is often the most difficult part. Equal representation of non commercial interest groups when implementing environmental flows.

Conclusions Continuing with business as usual (ie. failure to reduce demand) will increase vulnerabilities and lead to more and bigger problems down the road. Water management in the Mediterranean countries needs to change and the WFD can potentially deliver this change. Active citizen participation is crucial to ensure that the decisions necessary to achieve the objectives are taken and followed up.

Conclusions Only by taking immediate and decisive steps towards achieving good status in ground water bodies, to control abstractions, to apply water pricing to all sectors including agriculture with the purpose of reducing consumption will the Mediterranean region reduce its vulnerabilities, increase its resilience and build a ‘low-water economy’. ‘Hydrological discipline’ should get the same central importance in water management, as fiscal and budgetary discipline in management of public finance.